ă€ŠThe New Buggy Piratesă€‹


 Chapter 1

    As Buggy finished listening in on Roger and Rayleigh speaking, he felt like he was going to be sick. For three years he had been apprenticing on the Oro Jackson with Roger and his crew. And in those two years, he had come to think of his crew almost like family. A very dysfunctional family, but family all the same.

    He never in a million years would have expected that his Captain, the infamous Gol D. Roger that held so much of his admiration, would end up succumbing to an illness one day. He had seen the man fight hundreds of thousands of people without so much as breaking a sweat. So how could he meet his end from some cold?

    Buggy couldn''t wrap his mind around it. He needed to think. Walking onto the deck, he felt the cool night air wash over him. Pausing for a moment to glance at the night sky, he could see the stars so clearly. The brightest he had ever seen them. Or perhaps he just never paid them any mind until now.

    Not really in the mood to move too far from where he was, he laid down on the deck off to the side and stared at the sky. After a while he began to fall asleep, slipping into a dream world where he experienced a horrible nightmare.

    Roger had died and now the World Government, along with any other enemies the Roger Pirates had made, were coming after him with all their might. One after another his crewmates fell until it was just him, Shanks, and Vice-Captain Rayleigh left standing. And then it was him and Shanks by themselves until finally, it was only him.

    He shook in fear as they reached out for him and grabbed onto his shoulders. He felt as though couldn''t breathe and, unable to stand it, his eyes shot open. Rather than seeing again the terrifying hands reaching out to him from the darkness, he saw Shanks standing above him.

    "Buggy, you ok? You must''ve been having a nightmare ''cause you look terrified." The concern in his voice was evident, but Buggy didn''t much care to dwell on that. He was still upset over losing his cherished swimming skills. And as far as Buggy was concerned, it was Shanks who surprised the hell out of him.Hemade Buggy a devil fruit user.

    "Yeah yeah, I''m all right." Getting up and sulking away Buggy shrugged off his fellow apprentice''s concern and headed back into the to get some more, hopefully, nightmare free, shut eye. But even after laying in his hammock and managing some pretty decent sleep last night, Buggy still couldn''t shake off the dream.

    Deciding to take the day off, despite knowing the Vice-Captain would come trying to find and punish him later, Buggy laid on his hammock and played with his powers for a while. He had to admit, even if it was only to himself, that he thought these new powers were kind of cool. If he played his cards right, he could be a mighty pirate one day.

    ''Powerful huh?'' Buggy knew he was the weakest member of the crew. Even Shanks was better than him in those mock fights Rayleigh put them through, and they were the same age. This realization coupled with his thoughts on last night''s nightmare got him thinking.

    "I need to be stronger. The Captain is sick and won''t be able to shelter us once he''s gone. That''s probably when the World Government will strike. Bastardsˇ­" Having his hand come off and fly through the air he looked on as he tried to maneuver the obstacle course that was his room.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    However, his hand suddenly stopped a little before the end of the course. Staring at his detached hand, he experienced a moment of complete clarity. An epiphany, of sorts. The crew had another two or three years before Roger would disband it and send the crew on its way.

    ''In these next few years, I need to get stronger. I''m too weak right now. Even that bastard Shanks could beat me if he wanted to. I need to start improving my skills. And as crazy as it sounds, I have a feeling that the Captain might leave this world with a bang so I''ll need to be the best I can be by that time.''

    And Buggy knew all too well what kind of impact Roger had in the world when he was in his prime; technically he still was in his prime. So the thought of what effect hisdeathmight have on the world left little to the imagination.

    But in the end, it all came down to one core train of thought. If Buggy wanted to live long enough to do anything worthwhile with his life, he''d have to be better. Making up his mind and heading up the stairs to the deck he met Rayleigh who was moving in the opposite direction.

    "Good morning Buggy. Did you sleep well?" Buggy started to sweat. The Vice-Captain he knew would never speak so calmly towards Buggy. Despite the fear, ever present as it always was in the presence of the one who beat him so regularly, Buggy had been looking for him.

    "Good morning, Vice-Captain. I was looking for you." Rayleigh wasn''t used to Buggy not trying to provide stupid excuses immediately. ''Another half-baked excuse I imagine.'' "Ohhh. And what would you want to see me about?"

    Rayleigh had expected that Buggy was in the kitchen again trying to sneak food as he usually tried to. The cook always caught him, so it wasn''t that much of an issue, but it still bothered Rayleigh.

    "I wanted to ask you if you would help me to be stronger." Now Rayleigh gave Buggy his attention. In the two years that he''d been on this ship, Buggy had never really been interested in getting stronger or anything else that didn''t involve treasure.

    "I overheard what the Captain said to you last night. And I won''t say anything to any one, I promise, but it got me thinking. I''m a crew member on one of if notthemost notorious pirate crews in the world." Rayleigh nodded his head. He was upset that Buggy had eavesdropped on their private talk, but a little happy at the change of heart.

    "Once the Captain''s gone, what do you think will happen to us? Those of us who can be will be hunted down and taken out by both the Government and the enemies we''ve made. And sure, you and some of the others will be able to put up a fight, but what about the small guys like meˇ­Shanks too, I guess."

    It would be accurate to say that Rayleigh hadn''t expected such a situation to arise. He honestly hadn''t even thought about it. And now that he did, the boy was right. Certain members of the crew wouldn''t be able to handle it if they didn''t prepare for the eventual scattering that would take place.

    "So that''s why I''m coming to you and asking that you train me. Please Vice-Captain, I can''t go out into the world as weak as I am. Even with these devil fruit powers I have, I''m still weak. At this point, I''ve only accumulated more weaknesses with water being the biggest. I''m begging you, Rayleigh. Please. I don''t want to be weak anymore."

    Rayleigh grew silent in contemplation. Two years ago, for whatever reason, his hard to understand Captain had taken along these two boys on their adventures. The only thing close to an explanation he gave him was:Those two have promise. Can''t you feel it?

    And Rayleigh did feel it, but only in Shanks. The red haired devil was optimistic, willing to succeed, fun loving, and reflected a little of what Roger gave off. Buggy, on the other hand, was lazy, unwilling to do anything that didn''t directly and immediately benefit him, and overall a brat.

    But now, he could see the look of determination in the boy''s eyes. The conviction in his voice and the stubbornness in his stance. ''So this is what you saw, Captain?''

    "Come with me."

 Chapter 2

    The past three years had been excruciating for Buggy. Rayleigh had given him exactly what he wanted and then some. Every day he did what was expected of him on the ship, and every night he would train with Rayleigh.

    They fought a lot in the beginning, mostly due to Buggy''s attitude during their sessions, but eventually came to a mutual understanding. Buggy wouldn''t complain, and Rayleigh wouldn''t beat him black and blue.

    The first year they covered the physical and weapons portion of their training. Shanks proved to be adept with a sword while Buggy preferred to use pistols and small knives. Even at fighting the two were opposites. Shanks liked to fight close quarters while Buggy fought at a distance, making use of his devil fruit powers to give him an edge.

    There were many occasions, much to Buggy''s despair, where he wasn''t allowed to use his powers. In these cases, Buggy and Shanks were fighting with only their hands and feet. The first few weeks of this resulted in a winning streak that for Shanks that drove Buggy through the roof in frustration.

    But this streak would only last so long, as the more the two fought, the better Buggy became with close quarters conflict. The same was also the case for Shanks as he found ways to overcome people who fought at a distance. It would be several years before Buggy began to appreciate the building of his non-devil fruit based powers.

    The second year Rayleigh covered the basics and mechanics of Haki. As it turns out, both Buggy and Shanks had a natural talent for Armament Haki. By the end of their training, both would be able to spread the black armoring to almost every inch of their bodies.

    They would, however, both find themselves working hard on their Observation Haki. Even after an entire year of being pelted by gold coins, neither boy could sense much further than arm''s length. Impressive for their age, no doubt, but Rayleigh never made it seem as such.

    In fact, he had the two convinced that what they''ve accomplished wasn''t all that much. He was concerned that they, mostly Buggy, wouldn''t try as hard with its progression if the ''slight success'' they''ve achieved were revealed to be beyond what many could do.

    Both were disappointed that they were unable to learn the third form of Haki. For now, they could only hope that they would be able to do it later on in life eventually. Shanks took it well that he may not have the third form, but Buggy was struggling.

    It was more of the fact that he didn''t know if he could or not. And after days of agonizing deliberation with himself, it was Crocus who brought him out of his funk. After one conversation the troubles of the situation just melted away.

    It didn''t matter if he had the third type or not. And it didn''t matter if he met other people who did. The simple truth, according to Crocus, was that for as long as anyone can remember influential people came in all shapes and sizes with a variety of skills and assets.

    So whether he had it or not, he could still be powerful.

    Knowing this gave something Buggy hadn''t felt since he left his home island. A sense of security in regards to both the presentandfuture.

    Then came the third and last year of their training where itwas fightafter bloody fight against their Captain and Vice-Captain. Having both of these great men fighting against them every day for several hours had been beneficial to their development.

    This was also the year things began turning out to be ideal for Buggy. Shanks suddenly became much more tolerable, and Buggy almost considered the two of them friends, almost. At the moment, his goals and ambitions didn''t allow him the luxury of having friends. So Shanks became the next best thing. A rival.

    As their final training session came to a close, Roger and Rayleigh announced the disbanding of the crew much to everyone''s dismay. Buggy had already told Shanks in secret, so he wasn''t surprised. Though he still felt the slight despair that seemingly permeated the ship.

    Over the next few months, the crew began to be let off at various islands until it was down to only four. Shanks and Buggy had decided to stay on the Oro Jackson until the very end. As the ship set sail once again, their next and final destination was Baterilla; an island somewhere in the South Blue.

    Once they got there, that would be it. The four would stay together on the island for maybe a week and then Shanks and Buggy would then be on their own. That would be the day the Roger Pirates would be officially disbanded, forever.

    After a few more months of sailing, they finally reached the island. They''d been to the island several times before but never knew why it was a consistent destination.Buggywas quite shocked when a woman he''d never seen before came up the dock, then the ramp and proceeded to board the ship.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Shanks looked like he was just as confused as Buggy, but seeing Rayleigh do nothing stayed his hand. The woman quietly walked across the deck and entered the Captain''s quarters.

    Nearly twenty minutes had passed before Roger and the strange woman came out with some sake and food. Apparently, she was pregnant, which didn''t mean much until they knew Roger was the father. Buggy had his jaw halfway to the ground while Shanks and Rayleigh were next to their captain drinking and eating what looked like slop. The cook had been dropped off some time ago and the food he precooked was long gone.

    Seeming to go unnoticed was Buggy''s solemnly thoughtful expression. As the rest partied on, Buggy stared at the woman as if he was trying to think of an answer to a question no one asked. Not feeling the same cheery attitude as the others, Buggy eventually walked inside the ship and headed straight to his room.

    Buggy''s patterns of thinking more often than notrevolvedaround the different ways his life could be at risk and how to avoid them. Thus he had several measures in place meant to help him through such disasters. Measures he was now looking to fall back on.

    These past three years sailing and conquering the Grand Line had seen the Roger Pirates gain all sorts of goodies from all different kinds of places. There was even another devil fruit at one point, the man at the auction house called it the Smooth-Smooth fruit. Luckily Buggy was able to discreetly swap it with a fake just before the crew set sail.

    He chuckled to himself as he remembered the chaos that ensued when a particularly angry noble raised hell when it didn''t work. After digging around in several small chests, he found what he was looking for.

    ''Aha! Here you are!'' he thought in relief.

    Sometime last year while fighting against a supply ship en route to a nearby Navy HQ, Buggy and Shanks snuck into the ship to take what they could while the others kept the fighting up outside. Shanks had found some crates full of several different types of Transponder Snails.

    Not knowing which ones were worth taking, he made off with several of each. Buggy had less luck and could only find some food. A necessity, yes, but not quite the treasure he was looking for.

    Lateronthe ship Buggy decided to keep the larger ones (Common) and the white ones (anti-wiretap) for himself, claiming that bigger was better and that the white one looked cool. Rayleigh and Roger had taken some Baby Transponders to communicate with one another during their stay on islands in the future and Shanks took the Black Transponders and the rest of the Baby Transponders without much care. Having any transponders at all was enough for him.

    Taking the two Common Transponder Snails and two White Transponder Snails out of the chest, he placed one of each in a large backpack and the rest of them in a slightly smaller back pack. He then put in the larger bag two Baby Transponder Snails, about a hundred thousand Berries in cash, gold, and jewels, three loaded pistols with some extra rounds, a large knife, and a decent amount of food and water. It felt a little on the heavy side, but he''d be doing all the carrying, so it hardly mattered.

    In the slightly smaller pack was the Smooth-Smooth fruit, his extra sets of clothing, some Dials he had managed to get his hands on during their journey to Sky Island, what money and jewels couldn''t fit in the larger pack, some fishing gear, a camera, and three framed photos. One of the entire crew, another with him and Shanks on one of their better days, and a recent one with him, Shanks, Rayleigh, and Roger.

    He wouldn''t ever admit to it, but the photo he liked the best was the one with just the four of them. It brought a smile to his face as he stared down at it. And it also brought tears to his eyes as he thought about his Captain''s condition.

    Buggywas a very complicated person at this point in his young life. He still felt the self-preserving urge to put his own well-being and interests before others, but at the same time he couldn''t shake off his nightmare.

    Even after three years and a very long and harsh period of training dedicated to making it an improbability, that nightmare continued to lord over him.

    The feeling of utter helplessness and the desire to be safe pervaded his life and shaped him into something he''d never imagine being. A decent person. Someone who isn''t too far off from being what Shanks''idealsare all about.

    When he first realized this, he felt like turning his back on those decisions that had yet to bear any fruit. Such a different set ofidealswith no resemblance to his own seemed almost repulsive. But after thinking further on it and reminding himself of that horrible feeling of impending doom, he chose to suck it up. And he did so by following his Captain''s example.

    Every time he felt like throwing in the towel or giving in to his base instinct of running away, he looked at his Captain who wore a bright smile that promised nothing but good times as he did his daily doings. ''That could be me one day.'' Facing certain death and wearing a smile while doing it.

    Which is why Buggy was able to see past his vision clouded with fear and take action. The backpack was meant to be for the mystery woman. At this point it didn''t matter who she was, all that mattered was that she was pregnant with his Captain''s kid.

    He wasn''t as ignorant as the rest of the crew had believed him to be. Buggy could see the bigger picture, and right now it was showing that woman''s death in the not so far future. If there was any possibility of the ''Pirate King'' Gold Roger having a kid, there''d be a manhunt like no other for both the woman and child unlucky enough to play the role.

    The marines were relentless in that aspect. In his opinion, their ''justice'' was self-serving to the point of warmongering, and that in of itself was cause for concern. Which is why he has to save her. The only question left is why his Captain didn''t prepare for something like this happening earlier.

    No doubt she may be safe for now, but why wasn''t she taken somewhere secluded a long time ago? So many unanswered questions filled his head before he shook them all out.

    Whatever the case was, Buggy had decided to take it into his own hands. If he didn''t, then what hope would he have for himself?

    After the noise from upstairs died down Buggy peeked outside and watched as Shanks lay on the ground in a food and alcohol induced coma. ''The idiot probably drank too much.'' He thought with a fond smile.

    With Rayleigh nowhere in sight and his Captain and the mystery lady walking into the town, Buggy set out into the night.

 Chapter 3

    Buggy had been following the twosome for over an hour. It seemed as though they''d never get to her house. All they did was talk about possible baby names and what Roger was planning on doing now that his crew was virtually disbanded.

    To Buggy''s astonishment, Roger was planning on turning himself into the Marines. It was just unbelievable! ''Why would he turn himself inˇ­? It doesn''t make any sense!'' The more he listened, the more confused he was. And soon that confusion turned into anger.

    He was thinking about running out there and telling his Captain off at even thinking of turning himself in but soon found himself being grabbed and taken away into the night. ''Shit. How could I have let myself be captured soˇ­?'' He stopped when he noticed just who had managed to grab him. "Vice-captain? What''re you doing out here?"

    The older man merely looked at Buggy, not saying a word. Finally after a few seconds of silence, "I understand how you feel Buggy. I too think that Roger shouldn''t turn himself in. I honestly want him just to enjoy what little time left he has with his family."

    Buggy nodded his head. That''s what he was thinking too. Looking up at the night sky, Buggy felt his mind start to race. "But why wouldn''t the Captain send her somewhere safe? Somewhere she could live in peace? We''ve traveled the world, and I can think of, like, three places that would be perfect."

    Rayleigh didn''t know how to answer that. Roger never told him thewhy. Only that he was going to turn himself in and then things would be all right. Buggy filled the silence with another question.

    "What''s her name? The woman." Should he tell Buggy? It wouldn''t hurt for him to know. "Portgas D. Rouge."

    "D? As in the Will of D? How fitting for the Captain." Buggy smiled wryly. "I say we do something. Sitting around and letting this lady die isn''t exactly something I want on my conscience."

    Not getting a response, he turned his head to see that Rayleigh had already left. ''Asshole! Letting me stand here and talk to myselfˇ­I''d kick his ass if I couldˇ­hmph!''

    Taking a moment to sit down, taking care not to lose balance and fall out of the tree he was in; Buggy grasped at the chance to see if his Observation Haki had improved enough to find his Captain.

    Closing his eyes, he could feel Roger''s aura coming from ''Over there!'' Getting up and running towards them he ended up running across the entire town. ''Did he have to bring me so far away from them? Ughˇ­''

    Finally reaching the house he could sense them inside, he took a good look around, burning the area and how to get there from the docks into his mind. It was a good thing she lives in the high and hilly part of town.

    He decided to head back to the ship and come back tomorrow when the Captain wasn''t there. On his way back he came across a little shop, one of the few that remained opened after it got dark, that sold fruit and Takoyaki. An odd combo to be sure, but that''s not what caught Buggy''s eye.

    Of all the shops that stayed open late and of all the ones that Buggy could have come across, he''d never imagined finding what he now considered to be the sixth greatest thing he''d ever found.

    "Another one. I can''t believe I foundˇ­.another oneˇ­" Smiling like a mad man he ran over to the old woman sitting in a chair and smoking. "Miss, Miss! How much for that fruit over there?" The old lady looked at Buggy in surprise. She''d been trying to sell that thing for months, but no one was willing to buy such an odd looking fruit.

    "You can have it. At this point, it''s just another reason people avoid buying fruit from me." Buggy cried. He cried actual tears of joy. Never in his life did he think he''d be so lucky as to have found athirddevil fruit.

    Picking it up with the utmost care, Buggy wrapped it up in his scarf and continued to head back to the ship. Almost to the docks, he broke into a run to reach the ship. In his experience, unfortunate occurrences often took place just before he could reach a point of safety.

    Making it onto the deck of the Oro Jackson he felt safe. Or he did for about five seconds. "Hey Buggy." Nearly jumping out of his skin Buggy rounded on Shanks who had almost sent him to an early grave.

    "Don''t do that, asshole! I nearly had a heart attack." Buggy''s outburst made Shanks break out into laughter at his friend''s antics. As his laughter died down, so did the traces of mirth on his face. "So what are your plans after this? What do you think you''ll be doing?"

    Buggy gave Shanks an incredulous stare. "I mean I know you''re aiming to be the King of the Pirates, but what specifically are you hoping to get out of that?" Shanks was normally never this serious, so Buggy wasn''t sure how to go about answering him seriously.

    "ˇ­..Before our training with the Vice-Captain started, all I wanted wastreasure. Money, Gold, Jewels, Riches and all that. But now, I don''t know. I mean I still want to be filthy stinking rich, make no mistake." Shanks chuckled at this.

    "It''s just what do the people like you, and I do, huh? I mean we''re the next up to carry the torch that people like the Captain and Vice-Captain currently hold. How are we possibly going to measure up to them?" Buggy sighs heavily and then smiled confidently. "And to answer your question, I''ll be getting stronger. Enough to wipe your sorry ass off the map."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Shanks laughed, his cheerful personality returning. "You''re on, Buggy. If you think you can beat me, that is."

    Shanks walked away, and Buggy let out a sigh of relief. He''d thought for sure Shanks would find out he had a devil fruit. Walking down the steps to his room he took out the fruit to examine it.

    It was a very light blue with swirls all around it. It must''ve been an orange or something before it changed. Buggy knew how these fruits worked; you learned quite a lot when you spend almost every hour of every day with the supposed ''Pirate King.''

    No matter how many times you see a devil fruit, its pattern draws you in every time. The Smooth-Smooth fruit was the same way. ''Two devil fruits! Two! Should I sell them, or keep them and wait to gather my crew? I wonder if they''ll last for that longˇ­Dothese things go bad? Hmmm.''

    He closed the door to his room, and double checked his bags. They held all he owned save for his little side project. Anything left in the room was furniture. As for his project, Buggy had been tinkering with a new weapon he designed to give himself that extra edge in a fight. Once he got his ship, that is.

    While he hadn''t finished yet, theywerenear completion. Buggy Balls were originally supposed to be the last line of defense against any and all threats against the Buggy who constantly feared for his life while sailing with Roger.

    However, with the years of agonizingly rigoroustraininghe''d received from Rayleigh, the Buggy Balls had become less of a necessity.

    They only take a few hours to make as it was just a simple matter of making sure they didn''t accidentally explode and kill you as a result of improper handling before then. All that was left for Buggy to do now was to test it out in a battle, and also finish making it which he would do that night.

    The next morning, with the first ever Buggy Ball finished and packed away in its own inwardly padded chest, Buggy went out into the town and had some breakfast. He secretly enjoyed quiet mornings with a good breakfast. The noisy days and nights, partying crew members and fights that broke out, eventually lost their allure every once in a while after so many years of it. Taking a peaceful break every now and again was good for the soul.

    Finishing up with breakfast and paying the cute waitress a nice tip, Buggy got up and walked towards the house from the night before. He sensed that only one person was currently in the house. His captain''s aura was back on the ship, so there was little danger of his interference. He could only hope Rayleigh wouldn''t sneak up on him again.

    The closer he got to the house the more he needed to justify his actions in his head. ''She''s going to be hunted by Government. The Marines. Other pirates. I have to help her. Wouldn''t I want someone to help me? Yes. Yes, I''m going to do it. I''ll do it and most likely die. Shiiiit! I don''t want to die!''

    "Hello?" Snapped out of his thoughts he was greeted by the sight of a woman in what he assumed was a sundress.Buggywas never good with fashion, and the way he dressed proved it.

    "Are youˇ­Rouge?" He hadn''t prepared for this part. He''d only been ready to go up to the door and knock, which he had done during his mental fight with himself. He saw the woman go on guard. ''At least she''s not too clueless as to how much danger she''s in.''

    "Yes. What do you want?" She was curt and standoffish. ''Good, she has a backbone. Trying to work things out with her would''ve been much harder if she didn''t.'' "I''m Buggy. You know my Captain." At this, she dropped any hostility but narrowed her eyes at his nose.

    Feeling the rage swell within him, he forced himself not to blow up. "Would youpleaseˇ­stopstaring. At. My. Nose?" Slightly taken aback, she smiled and apologized. "Oh, I''m sorry. I''ve just never seen a nose quite like yours. It suits you very much."

    Not knowing whether or not to get angry or just take it as a compliment, Buggy settled for turning a light shade of pink and muttering under his breath. She had said it with a smile and in such a sincere voice, which made it all the more confusing.

    "Would you like to come inside? I''ve just finished making breakfast and tea. Roger was supposed to come over, but he never showed up." His blood ran cold at the thought of his Captain finding out any of his plans to take away the mother of his child, even if it was only to protect her, had him in a hurry.

    "Yes, thank you!" He shook in terror. The Captain and his Nakama are like family, if you hurt them in any way, you''d pay dearly no matter who you were. But something like this was unprecedented. In the five and a half years that they''d been sailingtogetherno crew member had ever hurt any other crew member. There was no basis for what the Captain might do.

    Sitting at the kitchen table across from Rouge Buggy was still shaking a little. "Is it too cold in here? I can close some of the windows if you''d like." He shook his head "N-no. I-I-I''m fine." Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it he gathered up his courage.

    "You''re in danger." She only looked at him with the same look as before. "Am I right to assume that your babyisthe Captain''s?" He wanted to be certain before he risked his life for her. Not that what she said would automatically be true, but it would give him some semblance of reassurance.

    She nodded her head, wanting to see where the young man before her would take this. "Then you know the stakes. The World Government, The Marines, other pirates, and any others who would use you to satisfy their thirst for blood. You''d be tortured in the worst possible way."

    He wanted to play it up;fulldramatic effect would be needed to convince her. He could already see it in the look she was giving him. The same one his Captain often gave when he was determined to do something Buggy thought to be foolish.

    "What would you say if I asked you to leave this island with me?" She chuckled "I would say that''s a pretty bold move for someone so young." Buggy nearly passed out. "N-no! I didn''t mean it like that. I meant it as you and I leaving this island to hide out until the marines stop looking for you."

    She dropped her smile. "No. I will not run from anybody. Not even them." Buggy felt like breaking something. He hated when people didn''t see reason. Damn carriers. "Fine. Then I hope you and your baby don''t die. I hope you aren''t tortured and I hope you have a plan in case they do find you because they will and no one will be able to help you."

    That struck a nerve. Buggy watched as she got up to slap him. Unfortunately for her, he wasn''t interested. His body disassembled and reassembled on the other side of the room. "Listen to me, they will find you. You aren''t safe here and won''t ever be again unless you come with me. Youmustgo into hiding!" She slammed her fist on the table and yelled: "I WILL NOT HIDE!"

    Buggy had had enough. He tried, no one could say he didn''t, so if she didn''t want to be safe and live long enough to see the brat grow up, that was her prerogative. It was out of his hands now. He got up and headed out the door reaching to turn the doorknob to leave.

    As he was doing so, the knob turned, and the door was pushed open to reveal Roger and Rayleigh standing in his way. Resisting the urge to run, all he could manage to say was "...shit."

 Chapter 4

    Shanks sat on the deck of the Oro Jackson soaking in the morning Sun. He couldn''t help but think about what Buggy had said to him the night before about carrying on the torch that great men like his Captain held.

    Speaking of Buggy, "I wonder if he knows how much he''s changed. A few years ago Buggy and I were polar opposites. Now, he''s shaping up to be a not so bad guy." Shanks had the belief that if two people held vastly contrasting beliefs, then those two people should go their own ways.

    And for a while it felt as though him and Buggy were destined to do so, but now that he''s grown as a person, maybe they didn''t need to.

    Despite the arguments and the fights that they had between them, Shanks had always thought of Buggy as a brother, or something like that. Even in the beginning when they were the only two fresh apprentices on the ship. And since then they''ve only grown closer, at least they have in his own opinion.

    As he was laying on the deck and thinking, he heard his two Captains talking and heading off the ship and into the town. They''d been discussing Buggy and how he was now at the lady''s house, whose name he now knows to be Rouge. ''What''s Buggy doing there?''

    Letting his curiosity get the better of him he jumped down from his spot on the railing and onto the docks. ''Let''s go find out?'' he thought to himself as he trailed the two knowing men.

    Rouge''s House

    Buggy stood in the doorway to see two figures towering over him. Both giving him smiles that he could only hope meant that he wouldn''t be killed. He wasn''t sure how much they''d heard, but it honestly didn''t matter as Buggy suddenly found himself being pat on the shoulder.

    This was not what he expected them to do. Rouge, it seems, wasn''t as lost. "Roger, don''t tell me you agree with him? I''ve said before how I feel about this. I won''t leave and that''s that!"

    "Buggy" he looked at Roger "Why don''t you go back to the ship with Shanks." It wasn''t a suggestion. "We''ll meet you there later.". He nodded his head and moved past them in a hurry. As he got outside he paused before walking to a tree across the street.

    "Let''s go get something to eat. I''m feeling hungry again." Anything to delay going back to the ship. Shanks jumped down from the tree branch and walked with Buggy to the restaurant that he ate breakfast before. The food was good there. Shanks broke the silence as they walked together. "So what happened in there?"

    Buggy was quiet for a while until just before they got to their table. He told him a summarized version of his thoughts and plans. To sum up, "You and I are very different people in some ways, and very similar in others. We both want to make it as great pirates and we both want to be known as great men." Shanks agreed.

    "But how we go about it will be what separates us. I can tell you right now that your path to your dream is one where you will openly challenge the obstacles that stand in your way. You''ll be loud and known throughout the world for your triumphs. That much is already there." Both smiled at this prospect.

    "But meˇ­I''m not like you in that senseˇ­ and I''ll admit to this only once." Taking a breath "I''mterrifiedof being known like that. You know me, whether I want you to or not, and how I fear having the world coming after me. You may be able to brave that storm, but I can''t."

    "So instead of doing that, I''m going to lay low for a few years. Gather my strength, some reliable crew members andthengo for it. The way I see it, you and I will be of near equal strength by the time I make my appearance."

    Shanks agreed with Buggy''s way of thinking. The two of them were very different people in those aspects. But he was still confused as to what this had to do with what happened at Rouge''s house. "So what does this have to do with-"

    "I''m getting there, don''t rush me. You''re always so damn impatient." He laughed at that. Teasing Buggy was great if only for his dramatic overreactions. "With her need to stay hidden and my plan to lay low I just thought it would be mutually beneficial if we travelled together for a few years."

    Shanks gasped in mock surprise. "You mean you actually want to put your life in danger for the sake of somebody else? How sweet of you Buggy. You really have changed." Buggy would''ve made a scene if the food hadn''t just gotten there.

    "Shut up! I''m still looking out only for me. And I''ll kick your ass if you say anything like that again." Sighing, he began to pick at his food. "Soˇ­.what areyourplans Shanks? Where do you think you''ll start?"

    A thoughtful look came over his face. "First I''ll need a crew of my own. Then I suppose I''d start my adventure here in the South Blue. It''s as good a place to start as any."

    "Then if you stay here, I want to ask you to do me a favor. I''m going to see if the Vice-Captain will drop me off in the East Blue so I won''t be here in case anyˇ­unfortunateˇ­situations come up. Keep an eye on this island if you can. More specifically that woman. She may not be part of the crew, but if she''s with the Captain, thenˇ­I guessˇ­she''s family." Shanks solemnly nodded his head in agreement.

    After the bill was paid for, the two walked down to the docks and onto the ship. Roger and Rayleigh were already waiting for them. "Buggy" He look at Roger in trepidation. It was always hard to get a read on his voice. Now was no exception.

    "Thank you." Not saying any more than that, he left for his office. Rayleigh smiled at both of the younger men. "Shanks. Buggy. As of now, the Roger Pirates are officially disbanded. It''s time for us to go our separate ways."

    As Rayleigh walked away Buggy called out to him. "Vice- Capˇ­Rayleigh." He''d have to get used to that. "Would it be possible for you to sail with me to the East Blue? I''ll need some help getting through the Calm Belt. I may be amazing at fighting, but I''m not that amazing."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Inwardly Rayleigh smiled at Buggy''s humble attempt to lighten the mood, and so did Shanks. "I wouldn''t mind. And you Shanks?"

    Shanks smiled but shook his head. "I''m going to stay in the South Blue for a while and take in the sights." All three just stood on the deck for a little while longer until Buggy left to go find Roger and Rayleigh and Shank started packing up their belongings.

    Buggy had already packed. The only thing left to do was to say his final goodbye to Roger. He would be leaving as soon as he could.

    Knocking on the door and opening it, Buggy walked in to see Roger sitting at his desk and staring at the large map that lay on it.

    It was a map of their journey, from beginning to end. Buggy took a moment to study the map, feeling nostalgic when he thought about where they''ve been these past few years.

    Getting his fill, he looks up to see Roger looking at him. "Capt-ˇ­Roger." The man smiled. "Thank you. For everything. The time I''ve spent on this ship and with this crew has been great. And I''ll never forget thisˇ­or you. Goodbye, Captain." Buggy smiled and turned to leave.

    "Make sure to take good care of those fruits, Buggy." The red nosed man froze in his tracks. "Hahaha! Don''t act so surprised. This is my ship. As Captain I have to know everything that goes on inside of it."

    Nodding his head, he choked back a sob "I will, Captainˇ­.Goodbye." Leaving the room and heading straight to his he didn''t look back. Calling his Captain anything other than just that...he couldn''t do it. He just couldn''t.

    Back in the room Roger was smiling, proud that Buggy had grown into the expectations he had for the boy.

    Logue Town

    Their Captain was gone. Dead. Executed right in front of their own eyes. All around them people cheered and shouted in excitement at the idea of finding the now legendary treasure ''One Piece''. Everyone attending seemed to enjoy the chaos that Gold Roger''s death brought.

    The only ones not joining in on the celebration were two young men standing at the very front of the crowd. The two stood, side by side, from beginning to end watching as the greatest man they had ever known met his end. Shanks pulled Roger''s straw hat down over his eyes as he cried. Buggy, however, couldn''t cry. He had already wept all that he could before coming to Loguetown, knowing for months that Roger would turn himself in.

    The World Government had planned to use Roger''s death as an example. An example to warn those who dared to try their hands at piracy that there would be hell to pay should they choose to do so. But they had not expected their plan to fail so miserably.

    Rather than instilling fear into the hearts of those would-be pirates, his death was the beginning of a new era. One where pirates took to the seas with a fervor like none before it. And not only did it inspire this ''Great Pirate Era'', it created a chain reaction that would be felt around the world for years to come.

    Buggy was one such example. His Captain''s death had fanned a tiny spark of resentment that grew into an uncontrollable rage. Althoughitseffects were immediate. He stood there taking it all in. The cheering crowds, the smug Government and Navy officials, and then the sight of his Captain''s blood dripping off the sides of the execution platform.

    It was overwhelmingly maddening. Buggy could almost feel something snap within him. In his peripheral vision, he noticed several people around him suddenly dropping to the floor.

    Shanks watched in confusion as a few people next to him got knocked out, and then acted in haste to physically restrain Buggy in as subtle a manner as possible after realizing he''s released a small wave of Conqueror''s Haki.

    He grabbed onto Buggy and pulled down on him in a way that made other people see them as if they were on the verge of fainting as well, only able to stand as they leaned against one another. There were several high level marines nearby, and attracting their attention was the last thing Shanks wanted.

    Armament Haki was starting to creep down from Buggy''s shoulders and onto his arms as if he was preparing to fight. It took a few minutes of holding his friend down near the ground and trying to talk sense into him before Shanks felt Buggy lose the tension in his body.

    ''How the hell did he manage to do that?'' He knew that the Conqueror''s Haki he let out was a rare ability initially brought out by high stress situations, but Shanks didn''t manage to release anything. He didn''t understand. He was just as distraught at the moment, wasn''t he? He''d need to think about it later.

    Looking back at Buggy, he was hoping he''d calmed down enough for them to make a move to leave the Haki afflicted area.

    But the murderous rage was still ever present on his face. And even more so in his voice. "He''s dead. They killed our Captain. I won''t stand for this. They''ll get what''s coming to them, I''ll be sure of that. Even if it takes me the rest of my life." Shanks had never seen Buggy so angry.

    Taking advantage of the people working their way to see what the commotion was, Buggy dragged Shanks, who''d been more affected by his friend''s Haki then he''d realized, towards the back end of the crowd and further into the townhouse areas.

    They sat silently in an alleyway. Buggy wrapped up in his own thoughts, and Shanks unsure of how to approach him. This was a whole new side of Buggy. A side that he wasn''t even sure existed before the execution.

    Looking up at Buggy and tried to open his mouth several times before closing it and looking away. This did not escape Buggy''s notice. "What?"

    After a brief moment of hesitation Shanks came out with another offer for Buggy to join his crew. Something told him it was best to just not to say anything at all. If Buggy felt like talking about it, he would.

    In response to his invitation, Buggy refused outright. "We can''t both be Captains on the same ship, Shanks. It just isn''t done, y''know?...But wecanbe rivals on the open sea. " He smiled at his friend. The somber atmosphere from before all but gone now. Shanks just nodded his head with a small smile of his own.

    Outside the alley, the crowd had begun to shrink in size as people started to head back to their homes where civilians would celebrate the end of one man''s ''reign of terror'' as the Pirate King with the people they held dear.

    It was at this moment that Buggy and Shanks felt their time together was now coming to an end. It was time to say goodbye.

    "Well, Buggy, this is it." Buggy smiled wryly at the red head as he reached out to his extended his hand. "Yeah. It is. Time to start our own adventures." After a stiff goodbye, Buggy turned to leave but found himself stopping just after a few steps and walking back. ''Oh!''

    "Here" Taking off his backpack, he opened it and retrieved a heavy looking sack and handed it to him. "For emergencies only. I can''t come rescue you every time you find yourself in trouble." He said mockingly.

    Shanks looked confused but nodded his head anyway. "Be careful out there, Shanks. We''re no longer under the Captain''s protection. There''s bound to be some heavy hitters out there looking for anything resembling the old crew. Consider what''s in that sack to be my calling card for when you find yourself at someone else''s mercy."

    Patting his friend on the shoulder one final time, Buggy turned at walked away once more. This time he didn''t look back. What needed to be said was said, anything else was for another time.

    Shanks looked in the sack and snorted. Inside was a large Transponder Snail with the words ''My Last Hope'' written neatly on the side and a white Transponder Snail attachment. Tying the sack back up and hefting it over his shoulder, he smiled as he watched Buggy walking away before leaving as well in the opposite direction.

    ''I wonder where Benn''s run off to.''

 Chapter 5

    Several Days Later

    All it took to turn the world on its head was an unspoken promise. Roger''s final words to the world held the promise of wealth and power to those who found his hidden treasure. Countless men and women took to the seas in those first days to try their hand at searching it. Many died, some gave up after they''d come down from the inspirational high of those final words, and others kept up the search with everlasting hope.

    And amongst those that didn''t lose interest or hope in fulfilling their dreams, a special few would one day make something of themselves. Whether they became powerful through time and effort or simply by eating a devil fruit, they''d prove tobe forcesto be reckoned with.

    To the World Government''s dismay, their plan to use Roger''s death as a deterrent to others not only failed but backfired as well. The beginning of the ''Great Age of Pirates'' would see to the rise of fearsome pirates for years to come. Pirates that would strike fear into the hearts and minds of those that would seek to destroy them.

    One such figure was Marcy D. Devlin. The days following the events at Loguetown were filled with nonstop celebrations all across the world. From Paradise all the way to the New World. Some celebrated the death of ''Gold Roger'' the cruel pirate, others celebrated the start of a new life on the open seas, and a few celebrated for no reason other than the infectious attitudes of those around them.

    And while these celebrations went on through the night, Devlin swept through all ofLoguetown. No store or home she came across was left untouched. However, excluding any cash and coin, she only took what she needed. In the end, it basically came down to tools, food, and clothes.

    Had it not been for the endless drinking, she might have been caught by the end of the first night. Unfortunately for the people of Loguetown, the results of her nighttime activities wouldn''t be noticed until she was already long gone.

    For five days, she had gathered as many supplies as she could in order to be ready to set sail. She too had been drawn in by the idea of becoming a pirate and searching for the legendary One Piece. But more than that she longed to be a part of something big. Something that would leave its mark on the world. She wanted to be able to look back on her life and not feel like she''d missed out on what could have been.

    When she felt she had finally gathered enough supplies, she made several trips over to the island''s free access docks to scope out any boats worth taking. Unfortunately for her, there was only one boat left to take. It was a simple fishing boat that looked like it''d been through one hurricane too many.

    ''Well, at least I have a boat. Better than nothing'' Devlin sighed regretfully. ''If only I could get into those private docks.''

    The private docks were located on the far side of the island. They were reserved for the Celestial Dragons, World Government officials, high ranking Marines, and other such VIP level guests that decided to attend the execution. And just like their owners, the ships docked in those shipyards were in a league of their own.

    "They were big, fast, durable, and powerful. Compared to that, the old fishing boat she''d decided on taking was a pile of crap.

    As Devlin loaded the last of her bags into the boat, she took one last look at the island behind her before preparing to set sail. Her feelings towards this town were not pleasant in the slightest. Devlin couldn''t wait to get as far as she could from there. She was almost ready before hearing a noise from somewhere close by.

    ''Great. Now I got to deal with whoever owns this thing. Maybe I can buy itoffhim if he''s drunk enough.'' She hoped whoever itwas didn''ttry to attack her. Devlin wasn''t big on fighting. Not that she couldn''t bring herself to, but her small size often left her at a disadvantage against larger opponents. Which was, sadly, almost anyone not a child

    As she looked around the inside of the small boat, she noticed something underneath a pile of rags was moving slightly. Creeping carefully towards the pile, she took out a small knife. ''Whatever this thing is, it definitely doesn''t own the boat. I''ll just get rid of it and get out of here.''

    Lifting the rags and readying her knife she was ready to stab whatever might popout,but stopped short of seeing something out of a horror story. A severed head was laying in front of her.

    "ˇ­AHHHH!" After she finally let out a scream, the head opened its eyes and started to scream as well. "EH!? AHHH!" Both screamed until Devlin fell backward and hit her head on the edge of the boat.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "Hey! Little girl!" Not getting a response from the unconscious girl, Buggy''s head floated up into the air. Looking around at where he was and what was around him, he slowly pieced it together. The night before he had been boozing it up at several bars around the island before making his way back to what he thought was his room.

    However, in his drunken stupor, he lost track of his limbs. Luckily the alcohol had already left his system, otherwise calling his body back during a hangover would''ve been a major hassle.

    Soon the various parts of his body reached the boat and joined together. Once his body was whole again, Buggy walked over to the girl and carefully checked her head. He was no doctor, but she looked fine other than the growing bump on her head.

    He was about to try and see if he could wake her up, but the bags of money to his left grabbed his attention. ''What would a kid be doing with all that money? Did she steal it?'' Looking at the way she''s dressed, Buggy couldn''t have imagined her as someone with access to large amounts of money.

    Looking at the rest of the bags behind the ones filled with money he saw copious amounts of food, tools, and ''Weapons? Wh-'' Feeling the awakened presence of the girl behind him, he stepped forward to dodge her knife and then backward to knock her off balance. Bouncing off Buggy''s back, she landed on her butt.

    He turned around to see the girl staring up angrily at him. "Stay away from those bags, they''re mine! And how the hell are you doing that!?" While trying to get up with her knife in hand she found herself being pushed back down. A gloved hand was on her shoulder, keeping her in place on the floor.

    "That would be my hand." He lifted his arm to show his left hand was no longer attached to him. Devlin''s eyes narrowed. "Did you eat a devil fruit? Is that why your hand is like that?" Losing the surprise from earlier, fascination had taken its place.

    The stars in her eyes made Buggy feel slightly uncomfortable, but he didn''t show it. "Yeah. My body can do it too." The rest of his body suddenly split into several pieces, floating in the air. "THAT''S SO AWESOME!"

    Feeling sort of giddy from the praise he let down his guard long enough for a certain girl''s knife to try and stab his disconnected hand. "Ah!" However, she only managed to stab herself. "Hehehe! Knives don''t work on me, kid."

    His hand flew back to him as Devlin clutched her bleeding shoulder in pain. "So why are you on my boat?" He wasn''t about to tell her this wasn''t actually his boat. He''d lose his edge in the conversation if he did.

    Looking around it seemed as though someone had taken the boat he''d been using for the past few months. "And why shouldn''t I just take your stuff and send you on your way?" Devlin stood up, this time with no hand to hold her down.

    Her eyes widened. "You''re a pirate, aren''t you!?" She knew he was. Everything from his attitude to the way he carried himself just screamed pirate. "And those are my bags!" Buggy stood there unimpressed. "So I am, and so you''ve said."

    Standing there at a loss, not knowing what to do, Devlin slumped her shoulders and groaned in misery. ''He''s a devil fruit user, there''s no way I can beat him. And if I don''t leave now I''ll never be able toˇ­''

    Buggy stood there, waiting for an answer. He wasn''t really going to take away what some kid had with her, it was just fun screwing with her. As he was thinking of just telling her to take her stuff and leave, she spoke up.

    "Your boat''s really banged up. I doubt it''ll last long once you set sail again." He nodded his head, curious as to where she was going with this. "What if I could help get you a new ship? A better one. A ship you won''t find anywhere else."

    She had his attention. He didn''t know about any private docks or else he''d have stolen a ship from there days ago. ''It seems my fun''s about to pay off. This kid''s not half bad.'' He smiled inwardly. ''Might as well have her show me where these private docks are.''

    "And all you want in return is your bags?" He asked. Devlin nodded her head solemnly. "How about it? Deal?" Buggy didn''t think twice. "Deal."

    The two stood there awkwardly""What''s yourname?""They both asked at the same time. "Eh, uh you first." Devlin blushed.

    "Buggy. Buggy the Clown." Devlin laughed at his name. "Y-Your nameˇ­is-is-is Buggy? Buggythe clown?" She almost fell to her knees in hysterics. "And it''s a perfect name to go with that big red nose too!" It was several seconds before Devlin realized she had spoken out loud.

    Seeing the trembling form of a very pissed off looking Buggy, she shrank backward in fear. ''He''s going to kill me.'' She closed her eyes and waited for the blow. But it never came. She opened her eyes to see Buggy walking away.

    "What''re you waiting for, an invitation!? Let''s go!" He called over his shoulder, clearly still agitated. Devlin was confused. Why didn''t he hit her? She deserved it. ''What a strange guy.''

    Coming out of her thoughts she quickly covered the bags of money and supplies with a tarp, hoping that no one would come and disturb the boat while they were gone. After doing so, she chased after the retreating form of Buggy all the while calling out to him to slow down and wait for her.

    "Come one Buggy! Wait for me~!" Silence. ''Did he speed up!?'' Annoyed and suddenly forgetting the last minute and a half of her life. "Oy! Big Nose! Slow down!" Buggy froze mid-step and turned around slowly, waiting for her to catch up silently.

    Devlin smiled brightly at him as he did. But Buggy barely noticed it as a small voice in the back of his mind was constantly reminding him of one thing. ''She just a kid, Buggy. You don''t hit kids.'' Calming down just as she reached him they began to walk together.

    "Finally noticing the smile on her face, he attempted to smile back."Thank you big n- I mean, Buggy." Turning her head in his direction her smile grew larger. As did Buggy''s desire to wring her little neck.

 Chapter 6

    Devlin and Buggy sat together at a nearby bar, enjoying a hot meal. Devlin had offered to pay in an attempt to apologize to the pirate. She was surprised at his quick to anger attitude when it came to his nose.

    "So, what''s your plan on getting the ship? From what you''ve told me, you wouldn''t be capable of getting me a piece of wood from that yard." Knowing what he was hinting at, Devlin nodded. "Yes, I''ll need you to help me get them."

    "How do you plan on getting the ship? From what you''ve told me about it, I''d say you''d need more than just us to get in and take one." She nodded her head. "I''ll be relying on you to take us over the yard. We can get them as long as we move fast and fly high enough."

    He pretended to not notice the ''them'' in that sentence. As long as he gothis, whatever else the girl picked up along the way was just a means to an end. Soon enough they had devised a plan.

    After they finished their meal, the two would fly over the ship yard, pick a ship and sail away. As they planned this, Devlin made side plans to get her own ship out of the yard. She wasn''t lying when she talked about the fishing boat''s fragile state.

    Buggy placed some money down on the table and left. Walking back to the ship, to Devlin''s confusion, Buggy explained that to fly he had to leave his feet on the ground somewhere safe. Hence, the need to walk back to the boat.

    Soon after leaving his feet safely on the boat, the two were moving through the clouds above the line of ships below.

    One by one they went down the line examining each ship and debating the possible faults. And each ship had one major disadvantage that Buggy couldn''t overlook. They were all too large. Each ship needed at least twenty people to operate at the minimum capacity.Buggywas only one person. There was no way he''d be able to sail away safely with any of these ships.

    And like that, they had all but exhausted their options until the last boat came into view. Compared to the large ships that came before it, this one was significantly smaller.

    "That one right there. It''s perfect." Descending from the sky and landing roughly on the boat, Devlin had to brace her legs for the hard landing. Buggy had forgotten about his passenger in his excitement until a kick to the shin reminded him. "Ah!" He cried out in surprise and slight discomfort. She hadn''t kicked hard enough to actually hurt him.

    After trading half-hearted glares, they split up to search the ship. Buggy knew there was no one else aboard. He never failed to appreciate how handy his observational Haki was, especially when one knows how to wield it effectively.

    The first stop on the tour of his new ship was where the nobles themselves stayed. He was aware that this was a noble''s ship the moment he laid his eyes on it. The design of the figurehead was something Buggy had seen on several other noble ships that had crossed paths with the Oro Jackson in the past. He''d recognize it anywhere, even if he was unsure of what the figurehead was supposed to be.

    Buggy moved about the ship taking in what he saw. The area he was in appeared to be the rooms for the nobles to spend their time in. There were odd trinkets decorating the shelves and fancy ornaments and decorations littering the walls. Buggy shuddered as the room gave off the feeling of entitlement.

    What disturbed him the most was the framed photos of odd looking men and women, not just in the way they dressed, spread out on each wall. ''Looks like this will all have to go. In fact, this entire room will need to be redone. Can''t bemyship with the faces of privilege and tyranny decorating the walls.''

    After evaluating the state of his new ship and the measures he wanted to take to shape his new home into something that was truly his, he suddenly remembered that he was not alone. That the girl was still somewhere on the ship as well. ''I hope she isn''t breaking anything of value.'' He was hoping to be able to sell off some of the nobles'' junk.

    Returning to the deck he saw that the cargo bay doors were open. ''She must''ve gone down there.'' He thought. Reaching the opening but pausing at the smell of filth he developed a vague idea of what would be down there. He sighed as he braced himself for what he might find down there.

    He closed the doors behind him not wanting to attract attention from any returning crew members. It was unlikely they would reappear, but it was a risk he wasn''t willing to take.

    Buggy walked down the steps with a heavy heart. He would not delude himself from the truth. To deny what was going on would be to participate in validating the actions of the nobles. Something Buggy would never lower himself to do for not even he would sink that low to maintain personal comfort.

    Reaching the bottom of the steps he could barely see in the dimly lit room. He waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark before he was able to make out the figure of the girl he was with earlier. He''d try to get her name once they left this despot of despair. But for now, he was focusing on grabbing her and the others and getting out.

    ''Why is she kneeling?'' His question was answered almost as fast as it was asked. His passive observational Haki had just detected two people that were close by. The girl was kneeling in front of one of them. ''Only two? So much for a full crew.'' He had expected more than just two of them.

    From the moment he realized that the ship belonged to nobles, Buggy had planned on recruiting them. He''d take anyone who wanted to go home back to their families and keep the ones who wanted to stay. But with only the two of them, the plan might not go as smoothly as he expected it to.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Moving towards the girl from behind, he could see part of her face. She was crying. And while it wasn''t noticeable from far away, Buggy had noticed her body was shaking slightly. Not really knowing what to do, he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She leaned into him, seeking any form of comfort she could find.

    After several minutes of holding onto him, she let go and tried to move towards the cage. Buggy''s grip on her shoulder suddenly tightened. Looking at him with uncertainty she watched him shake his head.

    Devlin watched as Buggy took a step forward and gripped the door''s lock. His hand turned black as he wrenched the lock off of the cage door. Going inside he sucked in a breath of air. On the floor lay a sickly looking Fishman in tattered clothing and covered from head to toe with injuries ranging from dark, swollen bruises to deep gashes.

    Curious to see what Buggy had been shocked by, Devlin started to walk towards the cage as well. Feeling her approach from behind he held up a hand to wave her back.

    "Just stay back. Turn around if you can." He said to the approaching girl. ''A kid shouldn''t have to experience such a gruesome sight.'' He heard a weak ''humph'' from behind him. "I''m an adult...I...I can handle it." She sniffed, trying to even out her breathing.

    Buggy looked over his shoulder skeptically. "Ehhh? You? An adult?" He snorted. "Yeah, ok." He heard another ''humph.'' One filled with more confidence than the first. ''Good. She''s distracted. Heh, kids are easy.''

    She looked at him with narrowed eyes and asked with a suspicious tone "How old do you think I am?" Buggy took a moment to think it over. "Uhh, I don''t knowˇ­nine or ten?" ''I thought girls didn''t like talking about their ages. Maybe Scopper was wrong about that.''

    Shefaceplanted. "I''mˇ­I''m not a kidˇ­.I''m grown. I''m sixteendammit!" Buggy turned around completely to find Devlin on her hands and knees banging her fist on the floor. ''She''s not...No. She couldn''t be. Could she?''

    "A little small for sixteen, aren''t we?" Buggy mused to himself. Buggy is suddenly jerked forward as Devlin somehow teleports next to him grabs his jacket.They''re suddenly noseto nose. ''Shit! Did I say that out loud!?''

    "What was that, Buggy? I''m a littlewhatfor sixteen? Hm? Hmm?" At that moment Buggy couldn''t help but be unnerved at how detached her smiling face and cheerful voice were from her eyes. Eyes that promised Buggy pain. Just as Buggy had issues with his nose, Devlin had issues with her height.

    He turned to avoid her penetrating stare and but was then met with the sight of the Fishman still laying on the ground. His fear melted into concern, as did Devlin''s anger. ''Right. We still need to deal with our new friends.''

    It was no secret that celestial dragons were monsters. Stories of their cruelty had spread to nearly every corner of the globe. There were even some islands that had evacuation plans in case a noble decided to ''grace'' them with their presence.

    To hear stories is one thing, but to see their handiwork was something else entirely. Buggy walked forward and maneuvered the larger man into his arms. After a few seconds of shifting the man into a comfortable position, he managed to hold him without any trouble.

    He turned once more to face Devlin. "There''s a clinic near where I''m staying. Come on."

    Devlin looked at the scene with slight awe. Buggy didn''t look like he could lift anything heavier than himself. But there he was, lifting the giant shark man without so much as breaking a sweat. They were nearing the stairs when Buggy suddenly stopped and put the man down against the wall.

    Walking away into the darkness he quickly disappeared from sight. Devlin wasn''t too happy being left alone in such a terrible place. Several minutes later Buggy came back out of the darkness with a large bundle of cloth in his hands. It looked to Devlin as though someone may have been inside. ''Are they dead?''

    Walking past Devlin without so much as a word he picked the man back up and carried both out onto the deck.

    As they reached the deck Buggy looked Devlin and told her to wait inside the ship for him to come back. ''As small as she is, I can''t carry another person. Hopefully, no one comes back. I need to hurry. ''He flew into the air and in the direction of the town.

    Devlin watched until Buggy was out of sight before aimlessly wandering the ship. Eventually, she found the Captain''s Quarters, as well as a comfortable bed. Maybe some sleep would help her to feel better. What she had seen in that hold was too much to take in at the moment, and she''d never slept in such a beautiful bed before. She quickly succumbed to sleep.

    Buggy flew through the air as fast as he could. Quickly finding himself above the town, he dove down and landed in front of his hotel. Quickly navigating through the streets, he found the clinic and barged inside.

    Buggy flew until he reached the hospital, which was more like a small clinic. The door was locked, but he sensed two people still inside. He knocked on the door repeatedly for several minutes before they came to open it.

    After several nasty exchanges with two of the most reluctant doctors Buggy had ever met, it was a struggle to get them to treat a patient after hours, he sat in the corner of the room watching as they treated the Fishman and the woman in the bundle. From what he heard, the Fishman would be okay. Most of his wounds would heal with time and care; as would his malnutrition. However, he would not be waking up anytime soon.

    It seemed someone had hit him hard enough on the head, apparently the wound was delivered not too long ago, to leave him in a comatose state. When he would wake up was anyone''s guess and until then, he would need to be cared for.Buggywas going to need a list of instructions or guidelines to guide him. ''Maybe the doctors can help with that.''

    The other patient, the woman in the bundle, was more of an issue than the Fishman. Apparently, she was blind, battered all over, and was suffering from malnutrition. Buggy felt an intense anger burn in the pit of his stomach. ''What in the hell did they do to these two? Fucking nobles...''

    Buggy sat in that seat for what seemed like forever. After an hour of examinations, the woman was given medicine and re-wrapped in the cloth. Likewise, the man was also given medicine for the wounds.

    Finally, the doctors approached him with two sheets of paper. Both of which were written instructions on how to follow the regimen they''d assigned the Fishman and the woman.

    Similar to how most would react, Buggy was shocked that they''d treated a Fishman just like they would any other person. He''d traveled the world and met many people unwilling to even look in the direction of a Fishman for fear of being infected with some imaginary fish disease. It was these people Buggy looked down on the most.

    So even though he found their bedside manner to be as horrible as their people skills, he was thankful they didn''t discriminate. So much so he was willing to pay them instead of skipping out on the bill like he planned to do.

    The doctors had given the two medicine to keep them asleep for a few hours. But it was likely to be longer as their exhaustion was also coupled with sedatives. Buggy thanked the doctors for their help, paid them, and carried the two back to the ship.

    As he was on his way back, he thought of their future. Not just as ex-slaves, but also as possible future pirates. It would take a bit of planning but he was sure he''d be able to make it happen, he had to. For what is a captain without his crew?

 Chapter 7

    Buggy returned to the ship to find Devlin sleeping in one of the rooms. He sighed as looked at her. ''Idiot. What if someone had come back? Mm. She won''t last long on the sea if she''s not careful.'' He was tempted to wake her but thought better of it. The peace and quiet of the night were too valuable to give up.

    ''And I''ve heard kids are usually cranky after a nap.'' He chuckled as he walked away from the open door and into one of the rooms across from it. He laid the woman on the floor and the Fishman on the bed. Whoever stayed in that room, most likely a noble, just so happened to be large enough to need a bed that could hold and support the size and weight of a grown Fishman.

    He picked the woman back up and walked into a room just down the hall. He wanted to keep the two of his ''patients'' close to each other on the off chance they happened to wake up at the same time. A small chance of it happening, but still an unwanted problem in Buggy''s eyes.

    He grabbed a chair from the room, walked back onto the deck, and sat down. As he took in the sight of his new ship he smiled. Everything was just right. The gentle breeze making its way from one side of the ship to the other, the smell of salt rising from the sea, and the soft groan of the rocking ship''s wood. It was perfect.

    After a few minutes of appreciation, he began to think about what he had and what he needed. This would be no simple task, either. What he chose to do from this point forward would directly affect where he would find himself in his later years.

    He had a ship, three potential crewmates, and... no way of getting out of the ship yard. Buggy felt his heart sink. ''How could I have overlooked this? How the hell am I supposed to get this ship out of here with only me to operate it!?'' He stood up and began to pace back and forth.

    He ruffled his hair and growled in frustration before finally thinking of his out. ''When I think about it I count for, like, three people, right? So I''d really only need one more person to get out of here.'' Rubbing his chin in further contemplation he wondered if the girl would be up to it.

    ''She did want to go to sea... and it wouldn''t be such a bad thing if she happened to set sail with me. I am experienced...It would be mutually beneficial.'' He stopped walking as he reached Devlin''s door. ''I guess there''s no other choice. But how do I go about doing it?''

    After a few minutes of internal deliberation, he made a decision. It went against his policy of never purposely antagonizing the World Government, with the exception of stealinga Noble''sship, but there are times when sacrifices must be made. No matter how reluctant Buggy was to do so.

    Buggy went back to the deck and took off towards the town once more. This time he was heading to his room at the hotel. It was easy enough for him to get in through the window without making himself known. If he didn''t have to pay for the room, he gladly wouldn''t.

    He didn''t stay here long enough to get comfortable, but enough to make a mess. He sighed as he went around the room and gathered the dirty clothes that were strewn about. After he put away his last pair of socks, he got to work on carefully putting away the assortment of chemicals and metals that he''d been working with.

    His research into developing the Buggy Balls was coming along nicely. He''d managed to decreasethe amount ofmaterials needed to make a single one. All it took was for him to drop the notion that bigger was better. This allowed him to make multiple Buggy Balls and even gave him an idea of making a smaller version of them if the current versions limitations are what he thinks they are.

    Hefting his bags over his shoulder, he hightailed it back to the ship. He didn''t want to waste too much time flying back and forth. ''I really should give her a new name. I refuse to call her TheImmortalite. That name is just oozing elitist bullshit.''

    ''A ship''s name should have character. It should define the ship and the people on it. Maybe something like The Rising Sun. No no no that''s not it...The Running Clown? Ehh. I''m not with the whole clown thing anymore. I''d be a laughing stock to the entire world if I made a name for myself with that kind of title hovering over me.'' Unbeknownst to Buggy, his body had descended a few feet while he was lost in his thoughts.

    As he moved underneath the clouds he could see the moonlight shimmering on the dancing waves. Suddenly it all fell into place. ''The Morning Star.'' He smiled at the name he''d thought of and hoped anyone with some sense would understand what it implied.

    On his way back to the Morning Star he stopped by the fishing boat from before. It didn''t look like anyone had gone anywhere near it. He grabbed hold of Devlin''s bags and his feet and took off towards the sky, once more hiding in the clouds as he made his way back to the ship.

    As he flew, Buggy couldn''t help but feel smug about what he''d achieved. After years of being able to not fly without having his feet connected to the ground, he''d figured it out. It was about a month before he came to Loguetown that he finally found the loophole that came with every devil fruit''s power.

    Buggy reasoned that while his feet did need to be connected to the ground, the ground didn''t necessarily have to be as well. He tested this possibility by ripping off a plank of wood from the ship he was on, holding it up with his hand in midair, and placing his feet on it. It worked. He made several attempts with several different types of platforms.

    Dirt, wood, metal, stone, and so many others allowed him to achieve the same result. To fly without needing to leave his feet vulnerable in one location. Instead of doing so, he could simply put them in a box and carry them with him as he took flight. From the moment he realized he had to leave his feet behind in order to fly, he''d always feared it would be his undoing. How thankful he felt when he proved himself wrong.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Of course, there was still the way he wanted to improve the whole problem with his feet, as well as the other shortcomings that come withhisparticular devil fruit. But for now, he would continue to enjoy his small victory as he had been.

    Soon he was back on the Morning Star and placing his belongings in the Captain''s room and Devlin''s in hers. Judging by the look of the horizon, Buggy estimated that the Sun would rise in less than two hours. It was just enough time to pull off his plan. He''d need to hurry if he wanted it to work.

    Buggywas soon on the decks of other ships, tampering with the cannons that were there. There weren''t too many ships in the yard so he only needed two or three Buggy Balls to achieve the desired effect. He altered one cannon on each ship to have a longer fuse before loading it with a Buggy Ball.

    The great thing about Buggy Balls, in Buggy''s opinion, was that they left the cannon and the section of the ship that they were fired from blown to hell and damaged beyond repair. There would be no reverse engineering his invention if there isn''t enough left of it to work with. That was the true power behind the Buggy Ball.

    He loathed the scientific capabilities of World Government and Marine scientists. They''re the reason he bothered to make his work truly his own. The last thing he needed was the assholes of the world coming down on him with his own creation.

    After he lit the fuses on each of the cannons he hauled ass back to the Morning Star and lowered the sails. There wouldn''t be much time before the ship next to the Star would be pushed back by the rigged cannon on its deck and crush Buggy, as well as his new ship and its passengers. After the main sail had been set, he swung around to the back of the ship and pushed with every ounce of strength he had trying to get every bit closer to the closed gate as he could.

    In her room, Devlin was enjoying her much needed rest until an ear-splitting blast cut through the quiet of the night. Terrified she jumped up and fell to the floor. It took a fierce struggle to untangle herself from the sheets that wrapped around her.

    Within seconds of freeing herself, she''s up and running down the hall, up the staircase, and out onto the deck. What she sees stops her dead in her tracks. All around her is destruction, devastation, and demolition.

    The docks are now simple splinters floating in the water, the ships that once surrounded the one she was stood on were gone. Now nothing but floating debris remained in place of the ships that once towered over her. And almost a quarter of the private dock''s warehouses are either destroyed or heavily damaged.

    Devlin stood on the deck scared and confused as to what had happened. She didn''t even notice that the ship was moving towards the now demolished gate.

    "ˇ­yˇ­ey!ˇ­.HEY!" Snapping out of her shock she turned to look at the source of the shout. It was Buggy. More precisely it was Buggy''s floating head. Knowing he was here and that she was not alone brought Devlin some comfort. Still flustered, she stumbled to get her words out. "I- w-wh-what''s happening!? I don''t...!"

    "There''s no time! I need you to climb up there and unfurl the rest of those sails! We need to hurry!" His head nodded in the direction of the sails. Devlin ran to do as ordered, too disoriented to do anything else.

    As the Morning Star crossed the gate''s remains and into the open waters Buggy felt as though an immense weight was just lifted off of him. He had made it out of the yard and away from the marines. He had a new ship, a possible crew, and he''d finally gotten to test his Buggy Balls against actual naval ships. All in all, it was a productive night.

    Buggy checked the compass and adjusted the ship to head southeast. They would not be returning to Loguetown anytime soon. Buggy looked back and saw what looked like hundreds of marines piling into the remains of the private docks. ''Yeah, definitely not.''

    As Buggy watched the chaos in unhidden glee, he could feel a set of eyes boring into him. Turning around, he faced a now clear minded Devlin. "Hey, Buggyˇ­was- I-...did you destroy all those ships?" He nodded his head, proud of what his creation could do. Proud that something that strong could come from him.

    He had spent the last year working tirelessly to improve upon his original designs. To see it in action with almost twice the fire power as the original model was nothing short of ecstasy. And now that he''d seen a glimpse of what he might one day accomplish, he felt a burning desire to know what his future had in store for both him and those who followed him.

    "Why did you save those people?" He was brought out of his prideful wonder by another question. "The slaves, I mean. You''re a pirate, aren''t you? A scourge of the sea. Ruthless and uncaring. People who don''t think twiceˇ­aboutˇ­the- W-why are you laughing!?" She stopped ranting in confusion and began yelling in outrage as she noticed his visible efforts to suppress his laughter.

    Not able to stand it, he doubled over in uncontrollable laughter. Every time he tried to reclaim his calm, one look at the pouting girl was enough to make him lose control. He wasn''t being cruel or making fun of her in any way, he just felt her view on pirates was funny. If he could, he would have explained that he was one of a handful of pirates that wasn''t like that.

    To the average person, mainly those who listen and buy into the World Government''s propaganda, a pirate was a menace. Someone who would tear down your home, take your wife, kill your family, and bleed you dry of everything you hold dear without even batting an eye. And they would be mostly right. Mostly. He just didn''t expect someone eager to go out to sea to be one of them.

    After a few minutes of continuously fading laughter, Buggy finally managed to calm himself down. But rather than try and explain his thoughts to Devlin, he chose to turn around and head below deck.

    It took a few minutes to find the kitchen. It was impressive, to say the least. With the large counters, fully stocked fridges and pantries, and several dozen drawers and cabinets filled with various cooking instruments and utensils, it looked like it was designed to cater to a certain Noble''s never ending need to eat.

    ''I bet this was necessary for the guy who slept in that large bed from earlier.'' At that thought, his mind wondered about the two people that needed to be cared for. ''Well, better get started.''

    After searching the place from top to bottom and getting all the ingredients and kitchen tools he needed Buggy began to cook what looked to be a large meal.

    Buggy had scoured the oversized kitchen for the ingredients he needed. He was planning on making a feast as a good way to start their adventure together. As Buggy was setting up the cannons earlier, he realized that there was a good chance that they''d choose to stay with him.

    Realistically, the first place you look for slaves that have escaped the noble that owned them is the same place they were picked up. So even if they do want to go home, they''d have to wait for the search for them to end. Not to mention the distance from where they are right now to where their home might be. So in Buggy''s mind, they were already part of his crew; regardless of what state they were in now.

    Devlin had walked into the kitchen during Buggy''s scavenge for ingredients and sat down at one of the tables. He waited several minutes for her to say something before trying to make small talk himself. Judging by the way she shuffled in her seat, the silence was too uncomfortable for her.

    "You know," Her head perked up as he spoke. "Back when you tried to steal my boat, you never told me your name. We only got as far as mine." She stared at him for a moment before giving him a bright smile. "My name is Devlin. Marcy D. Devlin."

 Not a Chapter

    Hey there readers. I''m writing this because while I''ve been posting chapters, I''ve neglected to write those Author Notes that some authors have at the beginning of their chapters. Also there are some things I''d like to discuss.

    1) I love to read your comments. And I appreciate those of you who like my story and give me meaningful feedback on what is liked and not liked. It''s helps me to write a better story for you. And if you don''t feel like having your opinion on display, you''re welcome to private message me. I read any and all messages I get.

    2) I''d like to apologize for any spelling errors you find. I always try to publish a chapter as grammatically correct as I can. But there are always those small little things that slip through the cracks. Anyway, I''ll try to catch as much as I can before I post. Thanks for your understanding.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    3) Sadly I have no set schedule for releasing chapters. I always have three in the queue, but when I post one is up to how long it will take me to edit and revise it into the final draft. Most of my free time is dedicated to writing this story so I''m pretty determined to write and stick with this story to its end.

    Hopefully I''ve told you guys and gals enough to understand how I operate as a writer. So don''t be shy with communicating with me. As I''ve said I enjoy reading and responding to you.

    See you in the next chapter

    Tallictr

 Chapter 8

    ''No. No fucking way. How in the hell did I... I mean what are the chances!?'' Buggy was blown away at this. Just like Roger and Rouge and several others he knew about, she carried the Will of D. After overcoming the momentary disbelief at his fortune, although unsure of whether it was good or bad, he smiled at her introduction. ''It''s almost funny that she says it so unaware of what it truly means.''

    "Well, it''s nice to meet you, Devlin." Both fell back into a more comfortable silence. The sound of food cooking in the background could be heard as they relaxed. The bacon sizzling in the pan, the crunch of toasted bread as it''s buttered, and the eggs being whisked in their bowl all came together in a sort of harmony. The night had been a long one, more so for Buggy than Devlin, and to relax like this every once in a while was nice.

    As he cooked, his mind wandered. He couldn''t help but think of how Roger described his and Rayleigh''s meeting as destiny and compare it to his and Devlin''s. Him, a former apprentice of Gold Roger and Silvers Rayleigh, and her, a carrier of the Will of D, meeting at what people were beginning to call ''the town of the beginning and the end''.

    Once he finished his and Devlin''s breakfast he sat down to eat with her. Afterwards, he would need to work on making the food that his two patients need. According to the doctors'' instructions, he needed to blend up some food to be able to feed them.

    He''d have never guessed that they''d have dietary restrictions. He was lucky that he''d had those two doctors write everything down. He might''ve done more damage to their already fragile bodies otherwise.

    "So, what do you think?" Buggy looked at her expectantly as she shoveled a copious amount of eggs into her mouth. ''He wondered if all carriers were such voracious eaters. He had only actually seen Roger, the only carrier he knew personally, eat and it was surprisingly similar to Devlin in almost every way.

    She returned his expectant look with one of confusion. "Of my cooking?" He clarified. "Mm!Uhs''ehrygoo." She said before swallowing the eggs and repeating herself. "It''s good. I like how fluffy you made the eggs."

    He nodded in agreement. "That would be the milk. If you add a small amount in before you whisk them, they''re fluffier when they come out." For the next half hour, they just talked about food.Nothingin particular, just their shared interests in eating healthy food.

    Where Buggy learned to cook, what kind of things Devlin liked to eat, what they were allergic to, and other such topics. They''d have spoken longer if Buggy hadn''t remembered the two people waiting for something to eat.

    He picked up both their plates and walked back to the kitchen. He placed them in the sink and started to mash some fruits in a bowl. He didn''t envy their mushy fruit diet at all.

    "Why were you laughing at me earlier?" Buggy didn''t need to look up to see the scowl on her face. He snorted as he remembered. Annoyed, she threw a wadded up napkin at him. "Oy, asshole! Don''t laugh!" In turn, he laughed harder. ''Too easy.'' He thought to himself.

    "I laughed because what you were implying about all pirates simply isn''t true." He held a hand up before she could protest. "Now don''t get all twisted on me. It''s just a simple fact that there are no absolutes. Notallpirates are bad people. Do we pick fights and do as we please? Sure. Will we ruin lives and hurt innocent people? Some of us, yeah. But that''s the key word.Some.As in not all."

    Despite her reluctance to accept that, Devlin waited for him to elaborate. "I know you''re hesitant to believe that, but it''s true. Look at me. I didn''t need to save those two slaves we found. If I were anything like the kind of pirates you described I could have just thrown them into the water and let them drown. I mean I probably couldn''t have killed the Fishman that way but-"

    Devlin cut him off. "Alright, I get it. It''s possible that not all pirates are as bad as they''re made out to be."

    He''d just finished pouring the mashed fruit "Not only that, not all marines are as good as you think either."

    Buggy could still sense the skepticism. "Listen, I''m not here to argue the details of life with you, but as long as you''re on this ship with me I''m bound to make you question them at some point. I''ve seen a lot of what this world has to offer." He flashed her a smile as he walked out the door. ''And sooner or later, you will too.''Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    As he left the kitchen, he made a mental note to remember to check the compass at some point. They needed to keep heading southeast if they wanted to get as far away from Loguetown as possible. Thankfully they''d stumbled upon an ocean current, one that was hurtling them towards a Sea King nesting ground. Otherwise known as the Calm Belt; well, one of them.

    On his way to deliver the food he''d made, Buggy thought about what he would do about the two people in his care. More specifically, how he could convince them to stay with him on the Morning Star. He didn''t want to resort to forcing his hand again like he attempted to do while stealing his new ship. He wanted them to stay because they chose to stay, not because he conned them into doing so.

    The first room he checked on was the Fishman''s. Getting his feeding out of the way was something Buggy did as fast as he possibly could. He may have been capable of carrying the man, but the thought of trying to fight a confused Fishman that Buggy assumed had little trust in Humans wasn''t was almost too terrifying.

    He''d once seen the aftermath of someone being on the receiving end of Fishman Karate. It wasn''t pretty, and he''d consider himself lucky to never experience that kind of hurt.

    The woman, on the other hand, took a lot longer to finish eating than the Fishman did. She insisted on trying to hold the bowl and the spoon herself, much to Buggy''s dismay. By the time she took her first actual bite of food, most of what was in the bowlwasnow on the blanket she was wrapped in.

    He sighed at the mess. "You know, this wouldn''t have happened if you''d have just let me feed you." She turned her head away indignantly.

    Taking back the bowl, he fed her what was left of the food and placed the dirty dish to the side. Now that she was fed, there was an issue that needed to be dealt with immediately. The woman needed to bathe as soon as possible. The stench from the cargo hold wasn''t nearly as bad as what appeared to be its source

    "Come on. You need to get cleaned up. In order to do that, you need to get out of those rags first." He wondered how long it had been since she was clean. ''Judging from the smell, it''s been a few months, at least.''

    Buggy kneeled down in front of her, extending his hand to unwrap some of the dirty cloth. He''d only managed to grab onto the wrap before the woman began to struggle against him. Her resisting arms failing to repel him, she tried to crawl away but soon found herself held in place. After several minutes of increasingly waning resistance, she finally gave up.

    He managed to get the dirty rags off of her, only for the smell to become stronger once her clothes were all that was left covering her. Buggy had to step outside for a minute to get some fresh air before having to go back inside. While out there, he thought that it would be better to go get Devlin and have her keep an eye on the woman while she was using the bath.

    Instead of leaving the hallway he was in, Buggy scanned the ship with his Haki and sent his hand to go get her. It was moments like these that made him grateful that he learned from someone as skilled as Rayleigh. Observational Haki would definitely prove its usefulness in the years to come.

    He figured it would be a few minutes before Devlin would show up so he went back inside the room to strike a deal. He went over to the bed and pulled off the comforter, making sure the sound of moving cloth was heard by the woman sitting in the corner.

    Turning around, he walked with particularly noisy footsteps to let her know he was coming. Buggy hadn''t ever interacted with a blind person before, so he thought that making his presence known would make her feel less uncomfortable.

    Halfway there, though, he stopped and watched her just sitting there. Oddly enough she was staring at him. Not just in his general direction, either. They had locked eyes with one another as if she was watching his every move. ''I wonderˇ­'' Reaching his hand out, he sent it towards her in the shape of a fist.

    He furrowed his brows as he watched the supposedly blind woman flinch at his attack. Something that, was she actually blind, shouldn''t have even fazed her.

    He wasn''t sure how to feel about this. He felt stupid for trying to ''make his presence known to her'' by stomping around the room like an idiot. ''But how could those doctors have been wrong? They''re doctors!'' It didn''t make sense. And it''s not like Buggy could just ask her. She obviously didn''t feel comfortable talking to him.

    Thankfully, Devlin walked in just as he found himself at a loss. Technically she was dragged in by Buggy''s hand and almost fell back as it let go.

    "Hey, what''s up with your hand pulling me- Ah man! Itreeksin here. What the hell, Buggy?" She asked, both annoyed and disgusted by Buggy''s hand and the room''s smell. But Buggy wasn''t listening, for in his mind the gears were turning.

    ''How does someone see something without being able to see?'' In the Blues, they don''t. In the Grand Line, however, there are two known methods. One of which is Observational Haki. ''If shecanuse Haki, then I might be able to get close to her. A mutual understanding between Haki users.'' He had promised himself that he wouldn''t manipulate them into staying and he meant it. But it didn''t mean he couldn''t make friends with them.

    "Hey. How about a deal?" Buggy tried a more diplomatic approach. The woman pointed silently to herself as if to ask ''Me?'' He nodded his head. "Yes, you. If you do something for me, I''ll giveyouthis big, fluffy blanket." He had the woman''s attention now more than ever. Devlin almost laughed as the woman was tried to reach out for it.

    But as her fingers grazed the material, Buggy pulled it back. "Ah! You can have this..." He waggled the blanket "Afteryou do something for me. Deal?" The woman''s gaze shifted between Buggy and the blanket. Torn between her desire for something clean for the first time in a year and her distrust of other people, she found herself taking a gamble.

    "Blanket...please..."

 Chapter 9

    ''How long have I been here? How many days has it been since I last felt the Sun on my skin? At this point I''ve lost count...somewhere around 53, I think. I wonder when they''re taking us.'' She sighed. ''Or maybe they''ve just forgotten all about us...aboutme. I''ve been tucked away in some corner so I guess it''s possible.''

    Night after night they would come in and viciously attack her. They never said a word as to why, either. Several of them would just appear out of nowhere and do their worst. The other prisoners, mostly the ones who had been recently captured, would yell and rattle their cages in protest.

    Lilith had been crushed by this lack of support and subsequently closed herself off from the other prisoners. While those who still had their spirits intact discussed escaping and the kind of hellish lives they would lead if they didn''t, Lilith chose to escape to recesses of her mind.

    It wasn''t like the thought of trying never occurred to her. She would definitely try if she ever felt confident in managing an escape, but with no control over her Haki, there was no telling what might happen.he retreated to the happier moments of her life, which at that point was anything before her enslavement.

    Instead, she retreated to the happier moments of her life, which at that point was anything before her enslavement.

    She remembered the times she spent playing beneath the trees at the edge of her island, how she spent most of her nights on rooftops watching the stars, the classes in the library she was forced to take, and even the day she went blind.

    Lilith found it funny that her time as a slave was so brutal that she was forced to go so far as to seek comfort in the day she lost her sight. ''It''s almost as bad as comparing that wretched library to a refuge of peace and comfort.''

    Pretty soon, after she stopped resisting and just let things happen, the servants began to beat her less and less. For a very brief period of time, she was left alone. No beatings, or insults, or taunts. Lilith assumed it was because they wanted her to look like a blank canvas for whoever had bought her. She was, to her immense disappointment, correct.

    She''d overheard one of the servants talking about how Saint Roswald wanted to have his new slaves branded personally. ''No wonder they stopped the beatings. They''re afraid of their masters finding out they''ve messed with their property.''

    She rolled her eyes at their actions, looking down on how they fear a fatass, as she assumed that all World Nobles were obese, in a spacesuit. She was the one who was going to be branded, the one who would only live a short while longer, and the one who would most likely suffer the most seeing as she was a woman. If anyone had any right to be afraid, it was her.

    As the days went by, she noticed that the number of voices in the room became smaller and smaller. Silently, she waited for her turn to come. For someone to open the door to her cage, drag her out, and bring her straight to Saint Roswald.

    But it never happened. Soon the last of the other slaves were taken away until it was only her and one other. She could tell from the rough breathing and the occasional splashes of water coming from the other side of the room that there was still one other person, other than her, that had yet to be moved.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ''Maybe they were also bought by Roswald. At least I won''t be alone in this.'' Part of her had meant it as a joke, but the rest of her had not. She was afraid. And like anyone who''s ever felt fear, she didn''t want to face it alone.

    Not long after the other had been dropped off, the food had stopped coming. At first, Lilith had thought it meant that the ship was close enough to wherever Roswald was that the crew deemed their hunger to no longer be their problem.Unbeknownst to her, however, the ship was currently several months away from its final destination. And before that time, her captors would be putting the two remaining ''passengers'' through a new form of hell.

    She leaned against the wall and slid down with a whimper. ''Why...why me?...It''s notfair!'' "Motherfucker!" She punched the ground with tired arms. That was it, it was over. Her life was over, and there was nothing she could do about it. She sat quietly for a few minutes before getting up once again to try busting the door open.

    As she stood up, her vision became blurry and her head developed a pulsing headache. It felt like everymigraineshe''d ever had compressed into one. The blood rushing to her ears was deafening, she had almost missed the sound of the cargo doors opening.

    On any other day, the screech of the doors would be followed by pompous laughter. ''Are they back? So soon? I thought they''d be watching the execution. Damn it!'' She didn''t want to be anyone''s slave. She could hear the steps of a child walking down the stairs. ''Is that a kid? Saint Roswald''s a kid? Ofcoursehe''s a kid, just my luck that I get to be a training doll for some Noble''s kid to play with.''

    She heard the footsteps come to a slow stop. She could only assume that he expected her to be in his sight right as he came down the stairs. ''He''s probably angry at being inconvenienced. Probably angry enough to take it out on me...'' Lilith felt out of breath. The cage she was in suddenly seemed so much smaller than it did before.

    Before she knew it, she was on the floor breathing heavily, wrapping herself in her blanket, and gently rocking on her side. In her panicked state, she prayed for whoever was listening to help her. She didn''t carehow,Lilith just wanted the nightmare to be over.

    In the midst of prayers, she heard the door open once again. This time the footsteps were heavy sounding. She knew that they could only belong to a grown man. She felt hot tears threatening to spill as she listened to who she assumed to be Roswald''s father made it to the last step. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest as she imagined all the different waysthey''d probably have to torture her.

    Lilith didn''t hear much else after the older man made it down the stairs until she heard what sounded like something metal being ripped away from something else. ''Did a Noble just rip the lock off of a door? But if they were Nobles, then they should''ve had the key.'''' She was right, and they would have had the keyifthey were Nobles.

    She spaced out as she tried to think of who else would be down here. ''If not the servants or the Nobles...then, is someone trying to rescue us?'' Her eyes widened at the possibility. Did she dare place her faith into something that might not be at all what she hoped for? As she tried to decide whether or not to risk calling out, she heard the two people making their way towards the stairs, without her. "Wait-" But before she could finish, the headache and the dizziness from earlier came back with a vengeance.

    On the floor, deaf, and barely conscious, she felt cheated. Her one and only chance at escape was probably gone forever and she had no one to blame but herself. Why couldn''t she have just taken the chance while she could? How much worse could the result have been compared to being in the hands of a Noble for the rest of her life?

    Just like the one before it, the intense headache began to fade. And as she slipped into unconsciousness, Lilith could''ve sworn she saw a man with a big red nose standing over her and saying something.

    ''Please, God...let this be real.'' She closed her eyes, unsure if she would ever wake up again.

 Chapter 10

    It had been a month since Buggy and Devlin had made their escape from Loguetown''s private docks. And during that time, many changes had taken place for them.

    Buggy had gone through more changes in one night than he''d ever expected. In the course of a single night, he''d gotten ahold of a powerful ship, understood the might of the Buggy Ball and through it the potential hehimself had, and finally launched himself into the new era his captain had created.

    But most importantly, how he finally began to live outside of the shadows of other people. And it was only as he looked back at the burning docks, at the reflection of who he now was, that he realized he''d already begun to cast a shadow of his own.

    Devlin too had been through heavy changes. And after serious consideration decided to stay with Buggy as his first mate. It had only taken one night for him, a complete stranger, to show her that she wasn''t ready to take on the seas alone. At least, not like he was. What he did to the private docks was something far beyond what she was capable of.

    So much so, she had considered not leaving the island at all. She''d considered just swimming back to shore before too many marines surrounded the island, but changed her mind at the last minute.

    She was about to say goodbye to Buggy but stopped short. The look on his face as he watched the docks burn and thesoldiersscramble had her in silent awe. He looked proud of what he had done like it was an achievement to have done what he did. But that wasn''t what she found upsetting. It was the fact that she had never felt that way before.

    Seeing the look of pure joy and satisfaction on his face, whether it came from being as destructive as possible or from just giving law enforcement hell, left her wanting. ''What would I have to do to feel like that one day?'' But the more pertinent question on her mind was if she could ever feel like that if she decided to stay in Loguetown.

    That was the moment she decided to take a chance and join forces with someone she''d known for less than a day. But it would also be the day she''d look back on as the one that changed her life in ways she would have never thought possible.

    Devlin had been surprised by the kind of person Buggy had turned out to be. She hadn''t managed to get a straight answer from him, only a lecture in how the world worked and a tiny hint at howheworked. He said he could''ve left them both of the people from the cages to die but didn''t, but that could be for any number of reasons.

    She tried her best to make sense of what category of pirate he was but found every trait had another that countered it. Obviously, he had no qualms with destroying property or stealing, but when they first met, he''d shown no real interest in taking her treasure. When she thought about it, he probably could''ve taken what she had without a second thought or any real resistance from her.

    And as far as Devlin could tell, he hadn''t shown even the tiniest bit of haughtiness that other pirates had shown. It was a common trait in most of the pirates who passed through Loguetown to reach Reverse Mountain. Most were pirates who deemed themselves above staying in the East Blue and wished to traverse the Grand Line. And the rest was a bunch of nobody assholes who found pleasure in harassing those below them.Buggy was neither of these.

    Buggy was neither of these. Instead of being arrogant or hotheaded, he seemed to be reserved. As if he knew exactly where he stood in the world and was simply waiting for the moment he could rise to new heights.

    As the days went on, Devlin came to know Buggy as someone who thinks before he acts. From the way he spoke, stood, and even ate, it was as if he was ready for anything that could happen to happen. When he took care of his two patients, he did so carefully and with consideration to their condition. Even when he was met with fierce resistance from the delirious Fishman, he''d waited until he tired himself out before feeding him his gruel. But she was pretty sure even Buggy had his limits, as she noticed how Lilith began to enjoy semi-solid foods long before he did.

    At the end of the day, she didn''t know what kind of person Buggy truly was. But that wouldn''t stop her from finding out. As for what she would do the day she does find out, she''d cross that bridge when she got there.

    A serious topic the two had been debating for several days was whether or not to head into the Calm Belt. Buggy was under the impression that they''d be safe there as long as they laid low and avoided pissing off any passing Government or Navy ships. He may have also had an underlying aim to visit a certain island Rayleigh had told him about. An island perfect for preparing himself for his crew''s eventual arrival in the Grand Line.

    But a certain first mate of his had no desire to head into what was known around the world as the nesting grounds of the Sea Kings. But even after days of pleading with him to turn them around and head somewhere else, he wouldn''t budge. She couldn''t understand at all why heading into one of the most dangerous parts of the sea was a ''necessary measure.'' She''d understood the fact that the marines would be after them for what happened back in Loguetown, but was seeking refuge in the Calm Belt necessary? Couldn''t they just hide near the Conomi Islands?

    Pretty soon all of her complaints and pleading had worn away at his patience and gotten to him. And one day, unable to tolerate anymore nagging about the subject, he''d snapped at her. They had been sitting in the kitchen, Lilith was usually still in bed at this hour, eating breakfast when Devlin once again brought up the subject of staying away from the Calm Belt. "Phhhhu~ Would you stop being so damn unreasonable about this! Going there is a stupid idea! There''s anentireBlue we could hide out in rather than-"

    CRASH!Buggy had thrown his cup of coffee across the room. "We are going to the Calm Belt. Period." She flinched at his cold tone. "We are on a ship westolefrom the Nobles. Do you know what that means? Do you understand just how severe the repercussions will be if they catch us?" She was quiet. "The Nobles won''t rest until they find whoever took this ship. If they catch us, we''ll be getting off easy if they kill us. Going to the Calm Belt is our best chance at staying alive long enough to come up with a solid plan. I don''t get what is so hard to understand about that!"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Buggy walked towards the cabinets to get another cup for his coffee. As he moved around the kitchen, his voice grew softer, with an almost pleading tone. "I understand that you have no desire to go to the Calm Belt. I get it. There are Sea Kings everywhere, yes. Butyouhave to understand three things. First: I''m the captain. I make the decisions on where we go and what we do when we get there. Second: What I do, I do for the good of my Nakama. Every decision I make, every word I speak, and every ass I kick is a calculated move that brings us one step closer to wherever the hell it is we''re going."

    Devlin felt like a child who was in the middle of being scolded by her parents as she felt a hot wash of shame and embarrassment cover her entire body. "Third: I appreciate you trying to steer us away from danger, but right now isn''t the time or the place for you to try." He paused. "However, It may save our lives one day. So if you have something to say that you really think I should take into consideration... next time just, uh... say something...got it?" Buggy hoped he''d made his point. These little heart to hearts weren''t his forte. Something he might have to work on if he wanted to be a good captain.

    After that, Devlin didn''t say a word about anything related to the Calm Belt. She wanted to avoid ever being talked to like that, by Buggy especially.

    In the aftermath their argument, Buggy had decided that Devlin was in need of training. He thought that if she had the means to defend herself, she wouldn''t have as many reservations about where he took them. The following day when he offered to train her, he was met with immediate acceptance.

    Devlin was overjoyed that she would no longer be a liability. They hadn''t run into any actual danger so far, but she was afraid that she''d only become a burden if they did. Her fighting skills were practically non-existent. If Buggy hadn''t offered to train her, she would probably have asked him herself.

    Buggy was practically raised in the Grand Line. And as such, hewas usedto Haki and other concepts that people from the Blues were not. He''d forgotten that Haki was not something Devlin was familiar with. Thus her reaction was different from the one he had expected.

    He sat down on the ground in a meditative position with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. This was the easiest way for Buggy to get his Armament to cover his entire body. It wouldn''t last long, but long enough to show Devlin what the result of her training would be like if she worked for it hard enough.He''d been unsure, at first, of how to handle training someone whose physique vastly differed his own. But after having time to think, he''d decided on doing what Ryleigh did to him, as cruelly ironic as it was.

    Fighting someone whose strength vastly overpowers your own, albeit very painful and humiliating, allows you to slowly use said strength to guide you. It was how Roger and Rayleigh trained Shanks and Buggy during the three years they spent together. By the time Buggy and Shanks had been able to fend off a fifth of the two older men''s attacks, they''d already become strong enough to enter the Grand Line with a crew of their own. A fact that they hadn''t even noticed until Shanks put it together in a drunken haze.

    Devlin, on the other hand, stood there as something black and shiny began creeping out from his back towards his face and stomach. The more it spread, the more Buggy seemed to tremble in what she could only imagine waspain. She honestly didn''t know what to make of it. To Devlin, thisthingwas no longer Buggy. It made the hairs on her neck stand up, and she wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

    As Buggy finished the process, he opened his eyes to find that Devlin was gone. Getting up, he furrowed his brows. "Devlin? Where''d you go?"

    While Buggy was still in the room, Devlin was already halfway to the ship''s infirmary. On her way there, she passed by Lilith''s room. Not sure if whatever that thing was would come after the others, she locked the door. And also locked the Fishman''s door once she came across his.

    From another part of the ship, she heard Buggy calling her name. She needed to hurry.

    Most people only used Armament for a single limb; an arm, a leg, etc. But Buggy felt it was best, for him especially, to be able to do it all at once. He figured if he could get covering his entire body down, then doing the smaller things would be a lot easier. It was the long road to Haki mastery, even Roger had said so, but it was the one Buggy would take. In the end, he''d be all the more powerful for it.

    Once there, he could try and have the ship''s appearance altered. He could also change the interior as well. By the time the shipwrights were finished with it, he nor anyone else would ever be able to tell that the ship once belonged to a Noble. Of course, that was only if it was able to be done. If not, he''d just take whatever wasn''t nailed down and pay for a new ship. He was open to either option.

    Stay here until I get back." she mocked. ''I''m blind, not an invalid'' She stood up in a huff, brushing off any wood chips that might have been stuck on her. If he thought she''d just stay there and wait for him to come back, Buggy had another thing coming.

 Chapter 11

    Devlin sat in the infirmary, surrounded by medical journals, looking for anything that resembled what Buggy had. The more journals she went through, the more pressure she felt about what might become of her. None of them held any information on what she had seen. She had no idea if it was contagious or whether it was fatal or not.

    Halfway through a section on black fungi, a heavy fist began to pound on the door. ''Is it Buggy? He''s not delirious is he?'' Surely he wouldn''t hurt her...would he? With that possibility in mind, she looked around the room for a place to hide.

    Devlin ran across the room and into a space between two cabinets just big enough for her to fit inside. Whoever had been outside the door stopped trying the handle and opted to simply break the door down. She closed her eyes and listened as Buggy made his way across the room.

    But rather than the sound of shoes hitting the ground, it was more like bare feet. ''The only one who walks around barefoot is-'' She was cut off by the sound of Soloman''s voice calling out to her. Her heart dropped a little at the tone he spoke with; it seemed as though Soloman was upset with her.

    The Fishman hadn''t appreciated being woken up from his nap. And appreciated waking up to the sound of his doors locks being turned even less. The decision to break down such a bothersome door was an easy one to make. Before he was halfway to the door, however, he''d heard the sound of light footsteps running down the hall. And the only one on the ship with a body capable of such light steps was,

    "Shrimp!" He could almost feel the room drop a few degrees before seeing a large book was spiraling towards him. Effortlessly, he caught the book and placed it down on the table next to him. And while his face was less upset and more annoyed than anything else, he couldn''t help but find amusement in teasing Devlin about her small size.

    Speaking of, the little ball of rage was now out in the open giving him a death glare. To which Soloman responded with a raised eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation as to the reason she tried to lock him in his room. Instead of replying right away, Devlin made her way over to the desk behind the Fishman and next to the door.

    "Buggy and I were in the middle of our first training session when he said he wanted to show me something that had to do with willpower or something like that. I-I didn''t really understand much of the explanation. All I know is, he suddenly had this thing crawling up his back! He was shaking and I could hear his breathing becoming heavier and heavier."

    Soloman, already knowing exactly where the story was heading, merely nodded his head and listened. "Whatever it was, I''ve never seen anything like it. It just...it felt dangerous." While she told him the events leading up to them being in the infirmary, Devlin had succeeded in pushing almost half of the heavy desk in front of the office door.

    Soloman shook his head at Devlin''s ignorance. "It seems as though you''ve misunderstood what was happening. Buggy was most likely trying to show you Haki." She tilted her head in confusion. "What''s Haki? Is it that weird, shiny stuff?"

    He sighed in frustration. "You''ll find out about it later. Come on, let''s go find Buggy."

    In one push, Soloman effortlessly moved the desk Devlin had spent the last few minutes painstakingly placing in front of the door. With a defeated look, Devlin followed him. "So, he''s not sick? This Haki stuff isn''t contagious or anything?" She felt ridiculous for having locked Soloman and Lilith in their rooms. ''Oh!''

    "That reminds me. Lily''s probably still locked in her room. So I think we should go and let her out before she freaks out too much." Soloman grumbled in annoyance but nodded all the same.

    On another part of the ship, Buggy was making his way towards Soloman''s room. He assumed that if Lilith''s room had been locked, then there was a good chance that Soloman''s room might have been as well. Which was why he wasn''t surprised to see the door hanging from a single hinge.

    Taking a quick look inside the room and seeing nothing else amiss, he decided to follow the trail of wooden splinters out in the hall. ''What the hell is Devlin up to? And why the hell did the damn door need to be broken down!?''

    A sigh of exasperation escaped him. ''Whatever it is, I just hope Soloman isn''t too upset with her. For her sake and for the ship''s.'' Disgruntled Nakama were so troublesome to deal with.

    Nakama.

    If there was anything Buggy was grateful to Roger for, it was instilling in him the value of his Nakama. It helped him to truly appreciate the relationship the four of them had with one another. Even the one he had with Solomon, the least willing of their small group.

    And despite the distance that he tried to put between them, they''d all gotten to know the Fishman pretty well over the past few weeks. They''d learned that Soloman was gruff, opinionated, and easily annoyed by anything and everything. But he was also intelligent, understanding, and capable. Everything Buggy could possibly hope for in a member of his crew. Which is why Buggy had pulled out all the stops when trying to recruit him.

    Several Weeks Ago (One Month after Loguetown)

    From the moment he''d woken up, he knew. He knew that there would be no more collars or chains or beatings. No more sleepless nights or weeks of starvation. And especially no more cages holding him as if he were an animal.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    He didn''t need anyone to tell him that he''d regained his long lost freedom. All he''d needed to do was to start the day like he did any other. He opened his eyes and stretched his body as far as he could. But when he did, he didn''t feel the usual tug or hear the familiar rattling of his chains.

    Instead, his arms and legs had been able to stretch as far as physically possible. For a man who''d been locked away for as long as he had, there was no greater feeling than that. Had he chosen to, Soloman could have stayed in the outstretched position all day.

    But once the initial high of freedom had passed, he began to observe his surrounding as best he could. It was a difficult task as his eyes were still heavy with exhaustion. From the looks of it, he''d woken up in a noble''s room. ''And apparently in his bed, for that matter.''

    ''I wonder if one of them has decided to take me in as one of their own. HA! That''ll be the day.'' He felt the tiniest hint of a smile tug at the corner of his lip. It felt good to smile again. It''s been several years since it was done without the usual sarcastic undertones.

    ''I wonder how long I''ve been in here. From the fading markings on my wrists and arms, I''d say a few days at the least.'' He struggled to get out of the bed. After so many years of sleeping on the filth-covered floors of cages and cellars, he''d finally gotten to lie down in a real bed.

    Suffice it to say, leaving what felt like the most comfortable thing he''d ever sleep on was a difficult decision. But he needed to find out where he was and, more importantly, who freed him. ''Whoever they are, they''ll have my eternal gratitude.''

    He pushed open the door, curious as to why they hadn''t even bothered to close it. Sticking his head out of the door he felt the knot in his stomach relax. Some part of him was still afraid that this newfound freedom was just another method of cruel torture the Nobles came up with. Something those monsters are completely capable of.

    Shaking away his fear, he moved down the hall slowly to try to reach the deck of the ship. The swaying was a dead giveaway. ''If they''re anywhere, they''ll be up there.'' After a few minutes of wandering, he managed to find the door that led to the deck. But before he could open the door, he felt the tight grip of fear lock him in place.

    So many doubts had him questioning his decision to make his awakened presence known to whoever was on the other side of the door. What if there were Nobles waiting for him? What if the whole thing really was just a cruel prank on him by some bored Noble brat?

    But the question that weighed more heavily on him than any other, was what would he do if this was all real? He had no family, no home to go back to, and nothing to his name. Combining all of these facts led to one truth, from the moment he''d woken up to this newly attained freedom, he was no one.

    In exchange for his freedom, he''d given up everything that made him who he was. And while his identity was that of a slave, it was still one that he''d carried for over a quarter of his life. ''I wonder if this means I can no longer use the name Solomanˇ­No. Soloman was mine before my enslavement and it''s still mine afterward. Not even they can take it from me...''

    Once again pushing down his insecurities he opened the door and for the first time since coming aboard this ship, he felt the sunlight pour over him. He''d never appreciated the feeling of the Sun''s warming rays on his skin more than he did in that moment. Pure ecstasy.

    Looking off to the side, he saw what he had missed most about being free. The ocean. The deep blue he''d been dreaming about for as long as he can remember. He''d missed the ocean far more than he did the Sun. To completely deprive a Fishman of the water he was born in, would be nothing short of a death sentence.

    During Soloman''s time in the cages beneath the ship, he''d come to know the pain of water deprivation. During the weeks of starvation, they would only give him the smallest amount of water necessary for a Fishman to survive.

    He''d often wonder how long it had taken them to work out the exact amountˇ­how many failures there were before they finally got it right. "Fucking animalsˇ­" Once again he cursed the existence of the Nobles. ''It feels good to be able to say that out loud.''

    But now wasn''t the time to think about such things. Now was the time to enjoy his newfound freedom. He took off towards the railing, jumped over the side and down into the water below.

    Soloman stayed in the water for nearly half a day before exhaustion forced him to regrettably climb back aboard. As he stepped back onto the deck, he saw three people. He assumed that they were waiting for him. ''It really was a trick, huh?'' It didn''t make much sense, but it didn''t have to. All it had to do was entertain them.

    His first reaction was to fight them with whatever energy he had left. But a closer look at them had him realizing that he stood no chance against them. Perhaps if it had been just him and the small child, who looked like she could barely hurt herself if she tried, he could have been able to win.

    But there were, in fact, two others there as well. Two people that, despite their young appearances, had his instincts screaming ''Danger! Danger! Get the hell away from them! Danger!''

    ''What the hell is up with these two?'' He''d never met someone who caused him to have that kind of reaction. It felt like he was slowly being backed into a corner. A feeling he was all too familiar with.

    ''Waitˇ­No, it''s not them, it''s her.'' He focused on the equally frail-looking woman that was leaning against the red-nosed man''s side.

    "Glad to see you''re awake." He was caught off guard with the sincere tone in the red nose''s voice. You''ve been out for quite a while. My name''s Buggy." The man with the red nose had spoken first. Soloman merely looked at him with a scrutinizing stare.

    ''What kind of Human would free a Fishman? What did he hope to gain? A servant, perhaps? Was he envious of a Noble''s way of life? Did he seek to recreate it for himself?'' Various possibilities crossed his mind. None of them trusting or pleasant.

    He wondered what this man, no, boy, wanted from him. Soloman had merely assumed he was older from how he carried himself, but his voice was a dead giveaway as to how young he actually was. ''Somewhere in his late teens, maybe?'' An odd thing to focus on, but better than his thought on possible re-enslavment.

    "Did you free me?" Soloman demanded. He realized that he had not yet confirmed this with them. For all he knew, there could be others on the ship.

    Suddenly the welcoming look on his face melted away into something else. He looked more amused than before. Letting out a huff of laughter, he turned and walked away. "Come on, let''s talk."

    Soloman, not knowing how to react, kept his guard up but ultimately followed the oddly behaving trio back into the lower decks. Whatever they were up to, whatever they planned on doing to him, he was ready to fight back. He would no longer be anybody else''s slave; he''d soon rather die than go back to that miserable existence.

 Chapter 12

    As they walked towards the kitchen, Buggy mentally braced himself for whatever the newly freed Fishman might throw his way. The point of this talk was to get everyone, specifically the Fishman, to understand that they had the freedom to stay with him as his crew or to be left on an island of their choosing.

    And if he did choose to leave rather than stay, as disappointed as Buggy would be, then he would leave with nothing but good thoughts of Buggy and the girls.

    There was nothing he wanted less than to have some loudmouth with a grudge against him telling anyone who''ll listen who Buggy is and where he might find him. It was likely that such an outcome would ruin all the plans Buggy had yet to put into motion. Plans that were all relying on the fact that no one knew who he was yet.

    Making their way to a table Buggy had set up some time ago, he''d figured this conversation was going to be an issue the moment he placed himself in charge of the man''s health, they waited for someone to make the first move to sit down.

    That was Buggy, who seemed comfortable enough to take charge when no one else would. Each of them sat down quickly after he did, taking the opportunity to get as comfortable as they could before engaging in what might possibly be an extremely touchy and uncomfortable conversation.

    Before anyone said anything, however, Buggy could see that the Fishman''s guard went up the moment his eyes rested on Buggy''s chest. The wooden handle of his gun sticking out, something that seemed to warrant a hostile glare from the ex-slave.

    From the way he shifted in his chair, and the position his arms found themselves being positioned, Buggy could tell Soloman had every intention of getting up and leaving before Buggy had a chance to try something underhanded.

    But being how Buggy was, he wouldn''t let this opportunity for a new crewmate slip through his fingers. Especially if there was a chance the man knew something about Fishman Karate. Knowing how to work around it would be helpful when they eventually visited Fishman Island. Those were thoughts for a later date, though.

    Pulling out the gun and cocking it, Buggy aimed it directly at the other man''s head. Soloman did not take too kindly to having a gun pointed at his head.

    Before he could try to fight back, Buggy had placed the gun on the table. Caught off guard, Soloman hesitated. And if he wasn''t expecting the large-nosed Human to put the pistol down, then he sure as hell didn''t expect said gun to be slid across the wooden table and bump into his hand.

    A pointed look in Devlin''s direction was all it took for her to do the same with hers. Had it been any other moment, Buggy might have made a joke somewhere along the lines of the gun she held being as big as she was, which wasn''t too far from the truth. However, it was neither the time nor the place.

    Lilith was blind and still weakened from her year of enslavement, so needless to say she wasn''t allowed to have a gun. After all, Buggy was immune to being cut, not shot. And Devlin was susceptible to being hurt and dying from both ways.

    Back to the conversation, Buggy attempted to deflate some of the tension that had been almost ready to burst. "We just want to talk." He made sure to have his hand visibly on the table. Being a slave for God knows how long might have stripped him of more than just his freedom.

    The mind was a difficult thing to find again, once it was lost. And after who knows how long being a slave, Buggy wanted to be as careful as he could possibly be around Soloman.

    Thankfully, the gun he''d given Soloman was a gun that he''d left soaking in a bucket not twenty minutes ago. Luckily, he had long since prepared for just this occasion. Gunpowder was all but useless if it couldn''t be ignited.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Meanwhile, Soloman''s brain was working overtime to think of what they were hoping to achieve by giving him a pistol. Make that two pistols, as the girl beside Buggy slid her over as well. At the very least, he knew that the other girl had nothing more than what she was wearing.

    Anything that could possibly be a weapon, regardless of whether it was a knife or a gun, would never be small enough to fit under her dress without showing a shapely bulge that would reveal what it was she was hiding.

    In no way did their actions make him any less suspicious of their true intentions. But he did feel safer with a gun in his hands. Especially in his weakened state.

    Following Buggy''s decision to make Soloman feel more comfortable, the four began to discuss the question that needed to be answered. What was Soloman going to do now that he was awake?

    Buggy was sure he''d want to go home, most likely to Fishman Island, but Devlin felt that there was a chance he''d planned on staying. A very small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

    And just as Buggy predicted, Soloman had expressed his desire to return to Fishman Island as soon as possible. Though it was unfortunate for him that Buggy had no intention of heading there or anywhere else outside of the Calm Belt anytime soon.

    "What do you mean you won''t take me!?" he yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. Lilith jumped at the sound of his fist breaking the table and sought refuge behind Buggy''s sitting figure.

    "It''s not that we can''t...we just won''t." He clarified; nodding his head as if that explained everything. Though elaborated when he could practically see the vein in Soloman''s head bulging out.

    "When we escaped Loguetown we left quite a bad impression on the locals. The Marines are going to be looking for us. If we go into the Grand Line with our ship understaffed and still looking like it belongs to a Noble, we''d be asking for nothing but trouble." He spoke calmly and with little to no agitation in his voice.

    But Soloman wasn''t appeased in the slightest. He wanted to go back to the one place in the world it was ok to be Fishman.

    "There''s an island I know about that can handle something like this. If you''d just wait until we get there, I''m sure we could find someone who''d be willing to give you a ride or something." Buggy was trying his best to settle this without incident.

    Soloman simply nodded his head and stared off into space, thinking of what he should do.

    If he wanted to go back to Fishman Island, then that was his prerogative. But if he wanted Buggy to take him there, he''d need to either wait until they were ready to brave the road to get there, take his suggestion and find his own ride, or just swim back on his own.

    And it wasn''t like Buggy didn''t feel bad for him, it was just that the needs of his crew came before the needs of others. And right now that was the need to stay hidden and alive. It was a huge risk that Buggy just wasn''t willing to take. Especially not for a man who showed no interest in being part of the crew.

    But, of course, being the shrewd person he would always be, he''d try his best to warm Soloman up to the idea of at least being friends for the time being. It never hurt to have a vicious looking Fishman Karate wielding Fishman as someone to have your back when you needed it.

    Soloman gave him a long stare that turned into a slow nod. "Alright then." Buggy turned to the other two. "The same goes for you. If you want to leave, it''ll have to be when we''re done with the alterations to the ship. Unless you''d rather stay?"

    Devlin nodded in confirmation while Lilith remained where she was, acting as if the option to leave wasn''t even applicable to her. What Soloman didn''t know was that the two of them had already established their desire to stay. Devlin because she began to feel comfortable with Buggy and Lilithˇ­

    Buggy didn''t actually know why Lilith decided to stay, but from the fact that she''s never too far away from him, usually in the same room, he had a few working theories. And while most of which were male teenage fantasies, the rest chalked it up to feeling the need to stay close to someone she recognizes as ''safe''.

    He recalled that he''d had that very same issue when he first came aboard the Oro Jackson. After experiencing his first real fight against some Marines, he''d stuck to Rayleigh''s side for days. Buggy could only hope he wouldn''t turn into her Rayleigh.

    Because as much as he owed the man, turning into another Rayleigh, as well as exposing the world to two of that man, would be a personal nightmare come true.

    Before long, Soloman claimed he was tired from the day''s events and promptly got up and retreated to the room he''d woken up in.

    The next few weeks were spent racing towards the Calm Belt and just enjoying each other''s company. Well, as much of their company as four semi-strangers could enjoy. And oddly enough, more than you''d think.

 Chapter 13

    Lilith moved through the empty hall, following the invisible trail that Buggy had left behind. Now how would a person whoˇŻs unable to see possibly follow a trail that couldnˇŻt be seen in the first place?

    The answer lies in the truth behind her lack of sight. The cause of her being blind was something sheˇŻd rather not think about but did so if only to appreciate what it had given her in exchange.

    With her most relied upon sensory organ being taken away at an early age, her other senses werenˇŻt automatically heightened, but were instead trained to pick up the slack. Which is how she managed to tap into her ability to use Observational Haki.

    Something she herself hadnˇŻt figured out until she had met Buggy, who had confronted her about it after a couple of days of getting to know her and the others.

    He was under the impression, as were the doctors heˇŻd brought her to in Loguetown, that she was completely blind. While she claimed that her vision was all but gone, allowing her to see next to nothing. It was how she rationalized being able to see a little at certain times and then nothing at all the rest of the time.

    Through this, they figured that she was blind but was somehow using Observational Haki to allow her to see as a person normally would.

    After this discovery she would spend hours on end practicing and expanding her ˇ®sightˇŻ. Lilith could sense a personˇŻs presence, aura, or whatever it was called; which was how she was able to follow Buggy.

    His presence, along with SolomonˇŻs and DevlinˇŻs to a somewhat lesser extent, was one she was the most familiar with and could sense with the most ease.

    It still shocked her that the Haki she read about in her islandˇŻs library was the same thing as the one she was using now. The way the book portrayed it was nothing like actually using it. Rather than it being a matter of ˇ®seeing moreˇŻ it was more accurate that she was feeling more.

    Almost as if what was within her range was an idle part of her body. This part was something she kept to herself. She thought it sounded like a silly idea since it wasnˇŻt described like that in the book and decided against risking Buggy hearing about it and then laughing at her.

    Something she knew wouldnˇŻt happen but scared her nonetheless.

    She eventually came across a hallway that had obviously been victim to SolomonˇŻs brute strength. The door had been forced open, covering the ground with wood chips and pieces of what used to be a door hinge.

    Sighing as she stepped over the debris, Lilith reminded herself to make Solomon clean up the mess. ˇ®I swear that the man is like a bull in a china shop sometimes.ˇŻ

    Buggy, on the other hand, was sighing for a completely different reason.

    HeˇŻd tracked the two to the infirmary and then back to LilithˇŻs room, where they stood arguing about DevlinˇŻs height. Though it was more accurately described as Solomon laughing at DevlinˇŻs attempts to be intimidating.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    It was both tiring and amusing to see the two go at each other like that. They were only joking around, evident by SolomonˇŻs smirk and DevlinˇŻs half-hearted attempts to throw a pillow from LilithˇŻs bed at his head.

    But even then they had enough fight in them to do some more damage to his new ship. The one heˇŻd hoped to have intact for longer than a month and a half.

    ˇ°Are you two finished? Because LilithˇŻs not here,ˇ± ˇ®Even though I told her to stay put.ˇŻ He huffed silently to himself. ˇ°and I donˇŻt think sheˇŻd appreciate you two messing up her room.ˇ±

    Solomon craned his neck indifferently in BuggyˇŻs direction, not at all surprised to suddenly hear him speak. Devlin was not so calm about her captainˇŻs sudden appearance. Obvious by the fact that she jumped in surprise and then stared at him in annoyance and embarrassment.

    Solomon seemed to have no qualms being in LilithˇŻs room uninvited and Buggy would be lying if he didnˇŻt find this attitude of his even a little bit amusing.

    ˇ°We were looking for you when this one,ˇ± he pointed down to Devlin ˇ°suggested we check up on Lilith. But it seems as though you already have it covered.ˇ±

    Buggy nodded. ˇ°I told her to stay here and wait for me to come backˇ­but of course she didnˇŻt listen and went off to look for me. Though it doesnˇŻt really matter anyway.ˇ± Which was true. As much as she hung around Buggy, she almost never listened to him when he tried to put some distance between the two.

    Eventually he just gave up trying to get her to be able to get through the day without him nearby. It wasnˇŻt much of a problem yet, so he wasnˇŻt too bothered by it.

    ˇ°Soˇ­about earlier,ˇ± Devlin had explained how she thought that BuggyˇŻs Haki had sent over the edge a bit. She described how it felt as though something inside of her was going crazy trying to get her to understand just how incredibly deadly whatever Buggy was doing was.

    He nodded in understanding, and then slapped a palm to his forehead in exasperation. ˇ°Of course! Shit, Devlin thatˇŻs my fault. I forgot that people in the Blues arenˇŻt like those that live in the Grand Line.ˇ±

    Now that he knew what the problem was, it was easily fixed. Next time, he would walk her through the process of what h was doing step by step. She wouldnˇŻt be walking in blind the next time they did it.

    Speaking of blind, Buggy wasnˇŻt sure what was taking Lilith so long to get here. Without a thought he used his Observational Haki to find where she was on the ship.

    ˇ®Oh, sheˇŻs right outside.ˇŻ He turned on his heels and walked out the door and into the hallway. But rather than seeing her looking angry at being told to stay put, Buggy discovered her writhing wildly on the ground.

    He dropped to his knees beside her, trying to no avail to get her to calm down. ˇ°Devlin, Solomon!ˇ±

    He didnˇŻt even wait for them to say anything. ˇ°One of you go to the infirmary and get some sedatives. They should be in the in one of the cabinets above the sink. Hurry!ˇ± The sound of light footsteps hitting the wood meant it was Solomon who stayed behind.

    ˇ°Solomon, I need you to hold her down-ˇ± He didnˇŻt get to finish as Solomon was already on the other side of Lilith, gently yet firmly keeping her still. Lilith, though, noticed nothing but the white, hot pain in her head that showed no signs of going away any time soon.

    ˇ°Lilith, I need you to tell me whatˇŻs wrong! Lilith, listen to me! You need to-ˇ± He cut himself off. It was obvious she couldnˇŻt hear him. But what could he do? He looked at Solomon for any ideas he might have, but the Fishman just shook his head with a concerned frown.

    After a few more minutes, Devlin finally made it back from the infirmary, bringing with her an intimidating looking needle. ˇ°Here, this should put her down for a while.ˇ±

    Devlin stuck the needle in LilithˇŻs arm and the three of them watched as her spasms slowly came to a stop. Eventually she stilled altogether, laying peacefully on the ground as if she wasnˇŻt screaming soundlessly in pain just moments before.

    After a few moments of silence, Solomon was the first of them to say something.

    ˇ°What the hell was that?ˇ±

 Chapter 14

    Marineford

    Monkey D. Garp had faced many struggles in his life. HeˇŻd fought pirates up, down, and across almost every inch of the Grand Line, heˇŻd managed to make a life with the woman he loved despite his dangerous and often times inconvenient career, and recently heˇŻd taken down Shiki the Golden Lion without sustaining too many life-threatening injuries.

    Nothing he thought a quick nap and some crackers couldnˇŻt fix, but still serious enough to earn him a one-way ticket to MarinefordˇŻs medical ward at the insistence of several annoyed nurses.

    But even then, his promise to Rogerˇ­it left him unsure of many things. He had many questions and so few answers.

    Why leave a child behind at all? Where would he put the mother to be and her child when the time came? Why was he the one who needed to protect them from the world?

    He could feel the weight of his dilemma more so than any other. And while he cursed that damned pirate to Hell and back for getting him involved, he would do as he said.

    He was an honorable marine, after all. It would go against everything he believed in to go back on his word. Not to mention his wife would have his head if she knew heˇŻd left an innocent baby to die for the sins of his father.

    Sighing to himself, he reached into his cracker stash hidden behind his pillow and tried to much away his troubles. ˇ®All I can do now is wait. The search wonˇŻt reach the South Blue for another few months.ˇŻ

    Garp suddenly chuckled to himself. ˇ®The South Blue. Who would have thought to start there? Here we are scouring the Grand Line, not even paying attention to the Blues. Let alone Baterilla.ˇŻ

    At least they were as safe as they could be. For now, anyway.

    Water 7

    Tom watched as Spandam left him and his apprentices to complete what would one day be known as the Sea Train. A very straightforward, unimaginative name, but it hardly mattered as it was the first of its kind and was allowed that luxury.

    His two students, Cutty Flam and Iceburg, were in the middle of ranting and calling after Spandam with a rage that almost brought a smile to his face. Or rather, they would have been ranting and calling him out had Tom not clamped his hands over their mouths.

    ˇ°Alright boys, time to get to work.ˇ± Dragging the two hotheads away, Tom was eager to get started.

    It took all of half an hour for the two to momentarily forget Spandam and instead go head to head with each other. Kokoro laughing and drinking as usual and Yokozunaˇ­well, he just happy that Tom was back in the workshop.

    Honestly, the whole threat of execution hadnˇŻt even phased him. The Oro Jackson was one of his greatest accomplishments, and he was proud to say he built it. The deal in exchange for dropping his impending execution, however, was just the motivation he needed to get started on the Sea Train.

    HeˇŻd been intending to make the damn thing for the longest time, but always found himself distracted by other things. Mainly orders to build ships, but also trying to raise two young boys into capable young men and even more capable shipwrights.

    But this time there would be no more distractions. HeˇŻd work night and day if he had to, but the Sea Train would be complete in ten yearsˇŻ time. And if it turned out to be a task impossible to finish within his lifetime, then at least his two boys would be able to finish what he started.

    Tom had faith in thatˇ­and in them.

    Uncharted Island, South Blue

    Shanks was having a wonderful time making himself known to the world. His crew was steadily growing in numbers, the places they travelled to and the people they met were interesting, and the laughs his crew shared with one another never failed to put a smile on his face.

    The best part, this was just in the South Blue. There were still three other Blues and both parts of the Grand Line waiting for him when he was ready to go. There was still so much to see.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Hell, even with the islands heˇŻd visited with the Roger Pirates there were still islands out there that hadnˇŻt even come close to crossing their path. Islands that might number in the hundreds. Who knew? Not him. Not yet.

    Oh, yes. He was going to have a very full, very exciting journey ahead of him. And if he was lucky, heˇŻd see it all. And even if he didnˇŻt, even if he only saw the South Blue up to right where he was and somehow died in the next thirty seconds thatˇŻd be just fine with him.

    Because at the very least, Shanks would have seen something before he went. And in his book, something was better than nothing.

    That being said, heˇŻd be leaving the South Blue in a matter of months. Maybe a year or two at the latest. But it wasnˇŻt because of the sights. No. His desires to see everything the South Blue had to offer was dwarfed in the face of his promise to Buggy.

    Even more than that it was his responsibility to make sure Miss Rouge, heˇŻd taken to calling her that at some point, had her baby safely away from any dangers. He one hundred percent agreed with Buggy that Rouge and her baby were the CaptainˇŻs family and therefore their nakama.

    But she wouldnˇŻt leave the island. Every time he brought it up it was the same thing. ˇ®I will not leave my homeˇŻ and ˇ®I will not run awayˇŻ and ˇ®That flower pot wonˇŻt be all thatˇŻll hit you upside the head if you bring this up again.ˇŻ

    She was stubborn. Just like the captain. And it only made him more desperate to get her safely off the island. In his mind she represented a part of Roger he could save. He was too weak the last time it happened.

    Too weak to stand up to the Marines and the World Government. But this time he had a crew to back him up. This time he was ready to fight back. This time heˇŻd protect his nakama. And he even thought he could pull it off.

    At least, thatˇŻs what he told himself.

    Moby Dick, The Grand Line (Paradise)

    Edward Newgate, known to the rest of the world as Whitebeard, found himself once again thinking about RogerˇŻs death. Specifically, the effects it was having on the rest of the world.

    ˇ®The Great Age of PiratesˇŻ they were calling it. He knew someone like Roger would go out with a bang. But heˇŻd never seriously thought that bang would be launching the world into a new era. And even less so one that would encourage piracy rather than snuff it out.

    He was getting to be an older man, but he knew what the World Government was up to. They could have done it right as he surrendered, but they chose to do it publicly; with the entire world watching.

    They were trying to milk his death for all it was worth. But their schemes wouldnˇŻt work on Roger. Not even in death.

    And that was something to smile about.

    Twin Capes Lighthouse, Reverse Mountain

    ˇ°IˇŻm sorry, Laboon, but theyˇŻre gone. I looked for them all over the Grand Line. I even managed to get all the way to Raftel with Roger and the others. Iˇ­asked aroundˇ­ˇ­and everyone said theyˇŻd left the Grand Line months before IˇŻd set out.ˇ±

    The little whale whined and cried in protest. Each word spoken adding to the sharp pain in his heart. But that wouldnˇŻt stop the denial nor the stubborn belief that his friends would come back to him.

    He dove down under the water, splashing Crocus as he did, wishing to escape the manˇŻs harsh truths. No. They wouldnˇŻt just abandon him like that. They were his friends!

    They had promised him. The Rumbar pirates had given him their word that they would be back for him. He wasnˇŻt able to protect himself from the dangers of the Grand Line, so he had to stay behind and wait for them to get him.

    So, in his child-like mind, Laboon figured that if he was strong enough then he would be able to follow after them. But how? How could he get strong?

    Fights. His friends had spoken of how they would fight with other pirates pretty much every other week. And as a result, they became strong enough to traverse Reverse Mountain and enter whatever Paradise was.

    He didnˇŻt know everything, but he knew enough to get started. He would see his friends again. Even if it took him the rest of his life.

    Sabaody Archipelago

    Rayleigh stared at the ceiling with an intensity that almost burned a whole through it. His thoughts stuck on the death of his closest friend.

    He couldnˇŻt stop himself from thinking of him at night. It was just too quiet to allow for any other thoughts. During the day he could carry on without the slightest hint of just how miserable he felt.

    But at nightˇ­the silence and darkness allowed for the thoughts he tried to bury to worm their way back into the forefront of his mind. It was almost impossible to think of anything else than the fact that he felt guilty.

    Guilty about letting his friend kill himself off like that. Buggy had had the right idea about trying to get Roger to spend his remaining time with Rouge and their unborn child. But Roger wouldnˇŻt hear of it.

    And there was nothing, not Rayleigh or even Rouge, could do to change his mind. And even now he still didnˇŻt know why. And it killed him not knowing.

    So that night, just like every other restless night heˇŻs had since the execution, he stared up towards the ceiling. But that night, unlike every other night, an arm draped across his chest in a sleepy embrace.

    His train of thought broken, he turned his head to the side and truly smiled for the first time in nearly two months. The only bright spot in his life now was laying right next to him. Shakuyaku.

    Shakky began to stir but settled down as Rayleigh chuckled and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her bare stomach.

    As he slowly drifted off to sleep, he never saw ShakkyˇŻs relieved smile. And for the first time since theyˇŻd reconnected, the two shared a perfect and sleep filled night.

 Chapter 15

    Lilith woke up in a strange place. It wasnˇŻt her room, it wasnˇŻt BuggyˇŻs room, and it certainly wasnˇŻt any of the other rooms on the ship. Soˇ­that meant that she was on an island. Or at the very least a different ship.

    She looked around the room and felt as though she was all alone. It unnerved her. She didnˇŻt like to be alone. Especially in an unfamiliar place.

    The cold floor on her feet felt heavenly. It wasnˇŻt made of wood or stone; it felt too smooth to be. Marble, maybe? SheˇŻd never felt marble before, but a book she read once said that marble felt close to how the floor was feeling now.

    Shaking her head and trying to focus on finding Buggy and the others, she managed to partially stand before the tubes and medical looking patches forced her back onto the bed.

    Seeing the blood beginning to seep from where some of the tubes had once entered her skin, Lilith tried to frantically wipe away as much as she could. And in her frantic attempts to keep herself from bleeding out, a hand gripped her shoulder.

    Her first reaction was a mix of stepping back and swinging a bloodied hand out in a desperate attempt to land a blow.

    ˇ°Lilith, itˇŻs okay. Hereˇ­ˇ± That was BuggyˇŻs voice. As well as his hand tightly holding onto the hole in her arm. ˇ°Come on.ˇ± He led her to a counter with some medical supplies. It took a few minutes, but he managed to semi-professionally stitch her together.

    ˇ®Thank you, younger me for annoying the hell out of Crocus for at least this much. And this way IˇŻll save myself from another ˇ°medical expenseˇ±ˇŻ He made sure that he knew a little of everything before going off and becoming a Captain of his own crew.

    Once Lilith was patched up, the two sat on some nearby stools and discussed what had happened to her.

    ˇ°YouˇŻve been out for a few weeks.ˇ± Relaxing as he calmly explained what had been going on. ˇ°We came to this island and got you to a doctor who said it was nothing to do with your health. Of course, that freaked us out.ˇ±

    She nodded her head trying to take it all in. ˇ°For some reason, though, you wouldnˇŻt wake up. So I did some thinking,ˇ± As well as some testing while you were still asleep. Not that IˇŻd ever tell you that. Even if it was for your own good. ˇ°and-ˇ±

    Buggy was cut off as Lilith was taken, again, by surprise when a small pair of arms wrapped around her. ˇ°IˇŻm glad youˇŻre ok.ˇ± Devlin. She should have known from the tiny arms alone.

    The hug suddenly went from warm embrace to death grip. ˇ°Lilith,ˇ± the woman in question looked down. Devlin was smiling at her, she knew because she could feel the room become colder. It was the kind of smile that didnˇŻt come close to reaching her eyes.

    ˇ°Were you thinking something rude Lily?ˇ± Oh no. She only called Lilith ˇ®LilyˇŻ when she was angry with her. Despite her paralyzing fear, she somehow managed to shake her head.

    ˇ°Oh, ok! Then itˇŻs great to have you back.ˇ± The danger had passed. Solomon took this moment to speak up. It seemed he had joined the reunion at some point. Though Buggy was the only one to have noticed the moment he did.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ˇ°ItˇŻs good to see you up and moving, Lils.ˇ± Solomon still felt out of place being with these Humans, despite giving Lilith a nickname. But they seemed to pay that no mind; understanding things from his perspective and moving past them.

    It was disorienting to be around these types of Humans after suffering at the hands of those types of Humans. But he was adjusting quite well. Or at least he thought he was.

    She gave him a smile and a nod before turning back to Buggy, who had waited for everyone to say their piece. ˇ°So, what I figured must have happened was that you were using your Observational Haki at the same time I was.ˇ±

    She furrowed her brows in confusion. ˇ°Okay, how about thisˇ­you use your Haki to ˇ®seeˇŻ things around you, right?ˇ± She nodded. ˇ°Doing that, you need to expand your senses. Hear farther, smell better, and all that other good stuff.ˇ±

    Devlin and Solomon were also listening closely. Buggy hadnˇŻt said anything to them about LilithˇŻs Haki and Lilith barely spoke herself.

    ˇ°What I think happened was that while your senses were heightened by your Haki, so was your sensitivity to Haki. Which is why when I used it to look for you, you were close enough to me for my Haki to overload your brain or whatever and do all this to you.ˇ±

    It made sense. Everyone thought so. ˇ°Which meansˇ­ˇ± he took a step towards Lilith and pulled her into a hug. ˇ°ItˇŻs my fault Lilith. IˇŻm sorry I hurt you. Even if I didnˇŻt mean to.ˇ± He felt her slowly nod her head into his chest.

    ˇ°Okay you guys, I think a drink is in order. To celebrate LilithˇŻs recovery and to punish Buggy for hurting Lilith by making him pay for our drinks!ˇ± Solomon smirked in agreement. He figured a drink would do him some good.

    Lilith blushed at the attention, Devlin went off about some sort of bar sheˇŻd found a few hours ago, and Buggy merely sat back and watched his crew have an enjoyable time. HeˇŻd have had an enjoyable time as well if not for the fact that he was paying for this outing of theirs.

    Even after growing up so much from who he used to be, Buggy still hated spending money he didnˇŻt have to.

    In fact, he hated spending money even more now that heˇŻd spent a few thousand berries on the damn doctors. Buggy knew they were Berries worth spentˇ­but he also knew that asshole doctor had ripped him off!

    Three thousand Berries for a processing fee. What the hell was a processing fee!? The man was a great doctor, sure, but he charged up the ass for every little thing imaginable.

    ˇ°You still upset about Dr. Fels giving you a bill?ˇ± Solomon found endless amounts of joy in BuggyˇŻs frustration with the man. Buggy, however, wouldnˇŻt give Solomon the satisfaction of knowing just how frustrated he was.

    ˇ°Not at all.ˇ± However, the way he hissed the words out through his teeth told him otherwise. Devlin tried changing the subject, tired of seeing Solomon slowly drive Buggy to the edge.

    ˇ°ItˇŻs just over here! They have this killer sandwich with, like, seven different types of meat in it. IˇŻve had like ten of them in the past hour.ˇ± She practically drooled in anticipation.

    Buggy couldnˇŻt help himself and took a good look at her. The girl was a glutton yet remained child sized. No excess or baby fat anywhere on her. ˇ®It must be a trait that D carriers share. No regular person could eat so much and remain so tiny.ˇŻ

    ˇ°Captainˇ­ˇ± Not able to finish her sentence, Devlin watched as Buggy suddenly disappeared from sight. He knew the consequences of thinking along those lines but never understood how she knew.

    ˇ°You said the restaurant was this way!?ˇ± Solomon, Devlin, and Lilith looked to their right and managed to catch a glimpse of their captain running aw- *ahem* making a strategic retreat from his first mateˇŻs wrath.

    ˇ°AH! I knew it! Buggy, get your ass back here!ˇ± Devlin was soon turning that same corner, leaving Solomon and Lilith to head towards the restaurant at a normal walking speed. Solomon growled,

    ˇ°This sandwich better be the greatest thing IˇŻve ever tasted or those two will be less worried about each other and more worried about me.ˇ±

    Lilith simply smiled and patted the large Fishman on the arm. He sighed, not wanting to vent too much to her ˇ°LetˇŻs just go, huh?ˇ±

    And off they went.

 Chapter 16

    Buggy sat back in his chair taking it all in. The smell of food wafting through the air, the sound of a room full of people talking amongst themselves and creating a background of unintelligible noise, being surrounded by his nakama and laughing as they tried their best to not strangle one another.

    Of course, it was mostly him trying to keep Devlin from placing him and Solomon in a chokehold. That girl was relentless in her pursuit for vengeance.

    It was niceˇ­and it reminded him of his days with the Roger pirates. Wherever they went they had been sure to make a mess and throw a party while they did it. And it looked like it was up to him to instill this tradition into his crew.

    Because while they did seem to enjoy their time together, it was a far cry from what his old crew was capable of. This was entire island spanning parties, mind you. No one as left out and no one was left sober.

    ˇ®No doubt Shanks is doing the same thing. That guy lived to party for days on end.ˇŻ He wryly smiled to himself. No word from Shanks since theyˇŻd said their goodbyes at Loguetown. Which was good. A call so soon meant that either Shanks somehow got in way over his head or something had happened with Rouge and the baby.

    Damn it. HeˇŻd allowed his ever-present worries to take him away from the good time he was having. Luckily, Lilith seemed to be his way back.

    ˇ°What did I miss?ˇ± Her voice was still a new sound to them. She rarely spoke out loud, relying instead on tugging on their clothes to grab their attention. So, when she did, they listened. ˇ°Where exactly are we?ˇ±

    Devlin decided to take the role of storyteller, much to BuggyˇŻs exasperation. As she retold the events in great detail and even greater exaggeration, he and Solomon found themselves correcting every other detail.

    ˇ°So, after you collapsed on the ship we tried our best to make sure you were ok. We watered you, made sure you got plenty of sunlight, and everything.ˇ± Lilith giggled. ˇ°We managed to haul ass to, um, what was this place called again?ˇ±

    ˇ°Outcast Island! Your home away from home!ˇ± He spread his arms in a dramatic fashion. And then faltered with an afterthought ˇ°Though IˇŻm not sure if IˇŻd get such expensive medical bills back home.ˇ±

    ˇ°Anyway,ˇ± Devlin was unappreciative of BuggyˇŻs display. ˇ°we made our way to this tiny little rock and brought you to the nearest doctor-ˇ± Buggy grumbled off to the side ˇ°A very expensive doctorˇ­ˇ±

    ˇ°Will you shut up about that already!?ˇ± Buggy raised his hands in surrender. ˇ°Anyway~ˇ± She shot a glare at Buggy, daring him to say something. ˇ°we brought you to Dr. Fels and he fixed you up. Gave you some medicine to ˇ®keep you underˇŻ, some sort of coma deal, and then eventually let you wake up on your own.ˇ±

    She shrugged her shoulders. ˇ°There isnˇŻt much else to tell. In hindsight, it was something we couldˇŻve done ourselves had we had a doctor on board.ˇ± Solomon chuckled. ˇ°Pleaseˇ­we couldnˇŻt have done half the things the doc did. And we mightˇŻve killed her if we tried.ˇ±

    Lilith took this in with a slight nod of the head. ˇ°But itˇŻs all good now. Though, we should really look in to getting a doctor for the ship. We were lucky that this place was only a few days away instead of a few weeks. In any other situation that mightˇŻve been incredibly dangerous.ˇ±

    Buggy nodded his head in agreement. ˇ°I know. ItˇŻs why weˇŻre spending the next few days on this island preparing for our journey to the North Blue.ˇ±

    ˇ°WhyˇŻre we going to the North-ˇ± The waitress finally arrived with their food, momentarily stopping Devlin mid-sentence. ˇ°Thank you. So, why go to the North Blue? I would think Dr. Fels would be willing to come with us if we asked. He seems like the pirate doctor type.ˇ±

    The blank look on their captainˇŻs face said it all. ˇ°Okay. Never mind. Soˇ­North Blue?ˇ±

    Replacing the blank look with a smirk and swallowing a reasonably sized bite of his sandwich, Buggy laid out the master plan. ˇ°Soˇ­thereˇŻs a country somewhere up there known as Flevance. Or to others as White City.ˇ±

    ˇ°Though you guys donˇŻt really look like youˇŻve heard either name. Well, anyway, the place is known for two reasons. Its world-renowned doctors, which is what weˇŻre heading over for, and its leading export: Amber Lead.ˇ±

    His three companions nodded in understanding, but he could tell it was mostly for show. They badly needed an education in the worldly affairs. An uninformed pirate crew was a vulnerable pirate crew, and Buggy would not tolerate anything of the sort while he was captain.

    Solomon pushed his plate away, leaning in and keeping his voice low. ˇ°I thought you wanted to stay inside the Calm Belt and away from everything outside of it. Why the sudden change of heart.ˇ±

    The others leaned in as well, though not as inconspicuously as Solomon had. Devlin in particular looked funny as she could only go so far before needing to kneel on the chair.

    ˇ°In light of LilithˇŻs injuries, I think itˇŻs best to take our chances and get a doctor as soon as possible. If it means coming out of hiding, and make no mistake we are in hiding, then I think itˇŻs worth the risk. Especially if the doctor is one we can trust without exemption.ˇ±

    Which is why Outcast Island was not the place to recruit loyal members. The name was what it was for a reason. It was the island that harbored what the rest of the world tossed aside and forgot about.

    And Buggy knew that Solomon still wanted to return to Fishman Island. And while it was unsaid, everyone also knew that Solomon was sticking around until they brought him there. As it was, they were the only people in the world who came close to having his trust.

    Which they did, much to his annoyance.

    ˇ°Oh! The ship! We havenˇŻt told her yet.ˇ± He was excited at just the thought of seeing the final product. ˇ°Soˇ­the ship was great and all, bar the cargo hold full of empty slave cages and the rooms with anti-escape locks, but it wasnˇŻt right. Not for us, anyway.ˇ±

    Lilith shivered at the mention of the cages. ˇ°I even tried giving her a nameˇ­but even after that and months of sailing her she just doesnˇŻt feel right.ˇ±

    Buggy sighed at the sight of a confused Lilith and an exasperated Solomon and Devlin. They didnˇŻt understand what he was talking about. DidnˇŻt understand what a ship was supposed to feel like.

    ˇ°ˇ­it doesnˇŻt feel like a homeˇ­ˇ± His reminiscent tone had their attention ˇ°When I was younger, just around the age that you look Devlinˇ± He easily avoided a barrage of sharp utensils aimed at his face.

    ˇ°I was taken in to be an apprentice on a pretty famous pirate ship,ˇ± Seeing the curious expressions he pushed on. He wasnˇŻt up for discussing his time with the Roger Pirates. Not at the moment, anyway.

    ˇ°along with another kid, Nah! Ah! Ah! Ah! ThatˇŻs another story for another time. Just, listen. The ship we sailed the Grand Line on was more than just a ship. I lived on the Oro Jackson for three years. Not a long time, but long enough to know what a home feels like.ˇ±

    ˇ®The Oro Jacksonˇ­why does that name ring a bell? Oroˇ­Jacksonˇ­ˇŻ Devlin furrowed her brows, trying and failing to remember. Pushing it aside, she figured sheˇŻd remember sooner or later.

    ˇ°And this shipˇ­it doesnˇŻt give me that feeling. It wasnˇŻt built to my specifications or even to my impeccable tastesˇ± Lilith smiled as they rolled their eyes at him. ˇ°Noˇ­that ship was just to get us here. To the place where we get a new ship. One thatˇŻll take us as far as Water 7.ˇ±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Silence. ˇ°Which~ is an island in the Grand Line known for its shipwrights. Specifically, the shipwright Tom.ˇ± More. Silence. ˇ®I seriously need to have that talk with these guys. Absolutely clueless.ˇŻ

    ˇ°So, before we turn in for the night, we should go and take everything we can carry with us. Anything else will either be put aside by the workers or sold directly to the shipwright down at the yard.ˇ±

    Lilith smiled at the thought of her former prison being destroyed and replaced with what Buggy claimed to be their new home.

    A ship thatˇŻs also a home? She liked that idea. She liked it a lot.

    -

    The rest of their afternoon was spent enjoying dish after dish of the sandwiches and other delicious foods. Of course, the good times for Buggy ended as the bill fell into his waiting hands.

    What else would one expect from an island of outcasts if not an overly priced meal? Forty-one meals worth if the bill was accurate. He let out a sigh. ˇ°Why does the world want to see me poor?ˇ±

    A small hand snatches the bill out of his hands. ˇ°Maybe itˇŻs because youˇŻre such a tight ass when it comes to money. I mean, we could easily afford to pay three times this amount.ˇ± She didnˇŻt understand why Buggy hated spending money. They had more than she knew w.

    She could get the fact that he was tense about the doctorˇŻs prices being a bit on the high side and with the new ship they were paying forˇ­as well as the dismantling of their old oneˇ­ˇ­ˇ­also the storage fees until their ship was ready in about a monthˇ­ˇ­ˇ­plus the twelve thousand Berries they needed to spend now and the fees for staying at that innˇ­

    Crunching the numbers together, the entirety of their savings and then some would be gone. What they couldnˇŻt pay out of pocket would be taken from the old shipˇŻs furniture. Even then, itˇŻd be more than just one or two things.

    Though youˇŻd never be able to tell what was going through her head. At least, not until her facial expressions began to closely resemble BuggyˇŻs. Who slid out of his chair and made his way behind her.

    He placed his hands on her shoulders and grinned like a madman. ˇ°Uh-huh! See!? You did the math in your head and now you know the horrible truth. The one youˇŻve tried to deny from the moment we set sail together.ˇ±

    A loud haunting whisper had the them all snickering and giggling like idiots. ˇ°Buggy was right~ Life is expensive~ ooooOOOOooooohhh~~~ˇ±

    Even the waitress from before, who was coming back to get them to leave so she could clean the table for the next customers to use, brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughs as she walked over.

    ˇ°Sh-shut up! Y-youˇŻre n-n-not-hehehaha!!ˇ± The laughs went on for several more minutes before they calmed down and began to stack their dishes neatly in the middle of the table.

    While they did that, Buggy reached into his still oversized pack and pulled out several crisp looking bills. He never knew when heˇŻd need to pose as someone who was notˇ­well, him. And nothing said ˇ®not a dirty pirateˇŻ more than handsome looking money that wasnˇŻt crumpled up or dirty gold coins inside an old drawstring sack.

    ˇ°LetˇŻs get out of here. I think weˇŻve terrorized this place long enough with Devlin and SolomonˇŻs appetite.ˇ± Said voracious eater planted her fist in his arm as they left. Buggy hissed in mock pain. ˇ°Ow! That almost hurt.ˇ±

    She growled. ˇ°You just wait. One day it will.ˇ± That brought up an issue, one of several hundred thousand that had crossed his mind since LilithˇŻs incident, but also one that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

    Devlin was, much to his chagrin and hers, the weakest member of their group despite being the First Mate. Initially, Lilith was pretty much in the same boat, but after recovering from her year of imprisonment she regained a lot of her original muscle mass.

    That coupled with her recent dabbling in both Armament and Observational put her on the fast track to becoming a force to be reckoned with.

    As such, Buggy had tried to teach Devlin Haki. The results of whichˇ­less than promising. So, heˇŻd need to confront her about what they were going to do.

    Given that she was someone who carried the Will of D, that doing so would cement any loyalties she had towards him, and that she was a vulnerable member of his crew, Buggy was fully prepared to give her one of his Devil Fruits.

    It was a difficult decision to make. HeˇŻd have to give up one of the most sought-after items in the world in exchange for giving Devlin a power that may or may not even be a good one. There were Devil Fruits out there whose abilities were useless to some and priceless to others.

    That, however, was if she chose the fruit he had no information on. If she chose the Smooth-Smooth fruit, then sheˇŻd make herself incapable of being held down or touched in anyway. Buggy was unsure if that meant all touching or just what the user allowed.

    But the fact remained that it was a gamble either way. If he was honest, heˇŻd rather have her take the gamble and maybe get a Logia or Paramecia type rather than definitely getting stuck with a mediocre power.

    Of course, it was up to herˇ­maybeˇ­

    HeˇŻd decide before talking about it with her.

    It didnˇŻt take long to make it back to their rooms at the inn, maybe ten minutes. The man behind the desk greeted them with a grunt before going back to his newspaper.

    Solomon walked Lilith to her and DevlinˇŻs room before disappearing into the one he shared with Buggy who tapped his first mate on the arm.

    ˇ°Devlin, you mind taking a walk with me? ThereˇŻs something I want to talk to you about.ˇ± She nodded, unsure of what Buggy wanted. All the joy and the carefree look on his face from before at the restaurant was gone; and in its place was the solemnity that sheˇŻd seen when the two had come across the cages in the cargo hold.

    Actually, it was more than that. He looked serious, yes. But alsoˇ­guilty? Almost dreadfulˇ­ And for a reason she couldnˇŻt quite understand, a lump formed in her stomach. A heavy, foreboding lump that had her on edge.

    ˇ°Okay. LetˇŻs go.ˇ± With that, she quietly walked out the door with Buggy on her tail.

    As terribly overpriced as it was during the day, Outcast at night wasnˇŻt half bad. In fact, it was actually quite beautiful. A fact especially apparent now that Buggy was avoiding looking at her or even in her general direction.

    ˇ°So, IˇŻm not sure how to say this Devlinˇ­ˇ± He sighed ˇ®How do I tell you that youˇŻre too weak as you are to be a part of the crew? How do I say that I could give you an instant power up at the cost of developing a weakness to the ocean itself?ˇŻ

    Aw, fuck it. HeˇŻd just go ahead and see what happens. ˇ°ItˇŻs been a few months since you joined, and you havenˇŻt reallyˇ­gotten strongerˇ­like, at all.ˇ±

    They had slowed their walking to a stop. ˇ°And the group of people I imagined being a part of this crewˇ­well, theyˇŻre very far above your current self.ˇ±

    A bad part of being trained by the men who trained him was that he learned to be observant of all that was around him almost unconsciously; such was the burden of using Haki. So even as Devlin stood in the corner of his vision, he could clearly see the tears building in her eyes.

    Tears. Which meant she was about to cry. ˇ®Ah shit! Better make this quick.ˇŻ But Devlin had taken his words and allowed her imagination to interpret them as it pleased.

    ˇ°Noˇ­ˇ±

    ˇ°What IˇŻm trying to say is-ˇ± He was cut off by a child sized missile burying herself into his stomach. ˇ°Pleaseˇ­donˇŻt!ˇ± Too late. Devlin sobbed uncontrollably into his shirt, choking out broken sentences.

    She knew it, from the moment heˇŻd given her that look, that her time as his First Mate was over. The lump in her stomach moved up towards her chest, then her throat, and stayed there for as long as she could restrain it before it all came out.

    ˇ°I-I-I-I-IˇŻm s-s-sorry~ˇ± Each word spoken cracked with more raw emotion than the last. ˇ°I-I-I know I-IˇŻm not s-strong enough now~ But-but-but- IˇŻm tryiiingˇ­I really am Buggy~!ˇ± She spoke fast, not allowing him a word in edgewise.

    ˇ°I know IˇŻm not good at Haki and I know IˇŻm smaller and weaker than you guysˇ­And I know that IˇŻm nothing special! But I can be. I can be special too! So please donˇŻt make me leaveˇ­this is all I have...All I wantˇ­ˇ±

    Pirate, Merchant, Marine, it didnˇŻt matter to her what she started out as. Not at first. Devlin just wanted the chance to be more. More than what little she really was.

    It just so happened that she was destined to do so as a pirate.

    Her muffled rant finished, she waited breathlessly for Buggy to say something. But he only stood there, silently holding her. Devlin took a few calming breaths before rubbing her face into his shirt to clear away the mess, Buggy would have to remember to gag about that later.

    ˇ°B-*hic*Buggy?ˇ± No response. She took a chance and looked up. Her heart dropped as Buggy stared down angrily at her. Slowly he raised his arm and brought it down on her head. Not hard. Just a soft tap on the top of her head.

    She flinched as he did, and again as he softly voiced his thoughts. ˇ°You. Absolute. Idiot.ˇ± What? Idiot? ˇ°Do you think so little of me? WeˇŻve only been together for a few monthsˇ­but I had hoped you would have come to realize in that time that IˇŻm not an asshole. At the very least not the kind of asshole who would leave a friend behind because she was weak.ˇ±

    He let out a huff as she quietly sniffed away her runny nose. ˇ°I didnˇŻt bring you here to kick you out.ˇ± He reached into his jacket pocket, taking out the mystery Devil Fruit. HeˇŻd decided on giving her the best possible chance.

    ˇ®The Smooth-Smooth fruit will have to do for someone else, then.ˇŻ Devlin was quiet for a few moments. ˇ°YouˇŻre not-ˇ± Another tap on the head, harder than before.

    ˇ°No, IˇŻm not. And I never will without good reason. I told you before, Devlinˇ­What I do, I do for the good of the crew. For the good of my Nakama. You are my nakama and you are a part of my crew.ˇ±

    ˇ°And this,ˇ± He held the fruit in front of her. ˇ°is for you, Devlin. I donˇŻt know which one it is or what effect itˇŻll have on youˇ­.ˇ±

    An act of desperation in the face of opportunity. ThatˇŻs what it was as she snatched the fruit out of his hands and prepared to take a giant bite. A bite that would at its best make her as strong as Buggy was and at its worst allow her to stay.

    And it didnˇŻt matter whether or not the powers it gave her were shitty or amazing. Whatever she got from it would be enough so long as she didnˇŻt have to go back to Loguetownˇ­Back to Him.

    No. She would never go back. ˇ®Just a single bite and IˇŻll finally be free.ˇŻ

 Chapter 17

    Devlin was only ten years old when her mother was killed. SheˇŻd been found beaten to death in an alley not too far away from her home.

    The guards of Loguetown decided that her death was the result of a struggle between her and another person whom they assumed had tried to rob her.

    When the Guards had told her and her father this, she knew the conclusion that they came to wasnˇŻt what really happened. It wasnˇŻt some random asshole who grabbed her because she just so happened to be walking past him.

    As an alcoholic, her father spent most of their income on booze. So much so that her mother needed to get several low paying jobs for fast cash, so she had it ready when her husband needed it.

    And while they had major issues and fought constantly, their daughter survived it all by creating her own little world away from it all. But not inside her head. Inside books about sailing the open sea.

    One day, after a night of reading by the fireplace, Devlin woke up only to hear her parents going at it like never before resulting in her mother leaving for work angrily and her father leaving for his job right after.

    But when neither showed up around the time they usually do, and her father came home angry, out of breath, and covered in bloodˇ­

    She knew it was him. Somehow, heˇŻd managed to track her mother down on her way home from the last job of the night, catch her off guard, and then take her life in cold blood.

    Why she never said anything back then is still a mystery to her today. One she regrets creating in the first place.

    Her father had been abusing the DevlinˇŻs mother for years. Only, her mother had done nothing about it and silently endured. Why? Devlin didnˇŻt know. But she assumed, if only for peace of mind, that it was to make sure Devlin grew up off the streets.

    But soon her father grew weary of ragging on his seemingly indifferent wife all the time. So, of course, his attention slowly shifted to Devlin.

    Unbeknownst to him, however, Devlin was where her mother drew the line. But unfortunately, drawing that line had cost her. And it would also cost her daughter for years to come.

    For six years she, like her mother before her, endured his brutality and unrelenting cruelty. Beating after beating after beating until she turned sixteen. That was when things changed.

    That was the year the man known as the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, was executed and The Golden Age of Piracy began.

    She had to sneak out to watch the execution. Luckily for her, it was around the time of day when her father was blackout drunk in his room. And she felt especially lucky since he didnˇŻt give to shits about going to see some pirate getting executed.

    So, she had a good couple of hours before he woke up and made her get him some more bottles of beer.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    The execution itself was, in a word, unforgettable. To witness such an accomplished man who looked as though he had decades left of adventures to have and life to live speaking so confidently to the two men who were about to execute himˇ­.

    Even if they hardly said anything beyond ˇ®Keep movingˇŻ

    Words could not describe the awe she felt. The awe of witnessing someone smile as he did in the face of certain death. The awe of watching him walk down Main Street, straight to the execution platform.

    He didnˇŻt beg or plead with the men and women around him. He didnˇŻt try to escape or bargain for his life. None of that.

    He simply held his head up high and walked with the presence of a King.

    But none of that could compare to the moment that changed the world. A moment that Devlin thought, in all honesty, probably wasnˇŻt even planned.

    The two men had done what they were trained to do during an execution. A short display with their blades to get them into position before bringing them down into Roger. But their usual show succeeded in more than just theatrics.

    The time it took for them to do this was the window a certain man in the crowd used to ask the question.

    ˇ°Hey, Pirate King!ˇ± The eyes of several hundred people turned to the direction of the manˇŻs booming voice. ˇ°Where did you hide all the treasure you found!? ItˇŻs in the Grand Line, isnˇŻt it!? The greatest treasure in the world!? That legendary treasure! The great treasure!ˇ±

    The guards could see that the man in the crowd was a disruption and one of them attempted to silence him. ˇ°Silence! You insolent-ˇ± But the man shouted over him, determined to get his question answered.

    ˇ°THE ONE PIECE!!ˇ±

    As he finished, out of breath from yelling so loudly, there was a slight pause before RogerˇŻs laughter broke through the quiet. He laughed to himself before facing the sky and sharing it with the world.

    It was the laugh of a man who knew exactly what the answer to such a question would do to the world. So, of courseˇ­Roger answered.

    ˇ°My treasure?ˇ± The guards looked at one another before trying to bring the situation back under their control. ˇ°Shut up!ˇ± ˇ°Not another word!ˇ± Their weapons pointed menacingly at his chest, they prepared to strike.

    But he wasnˇŻt done talking. ˇ°If you want it, you can have it!ˇ± The executioners raised their arms up high, ˇ°Find it! I left everything this world has to offer at that place!ˇ± and brought them back down.

    ˇ°Execute!ˇ± Two blades found themselves plunged deep into RogerˇŻs chest, piercing his heart.

    But even then, as his life came to an end, he wore a large smile. One that expressed the pure joy he felt at that moment in time, where he managed to change the world, just one last time.

    There was a deafening silence. A stunned silence, before the crowd erupted into an unparalleled frenzy of excitement. The guards who had carried out the Pirate KingˇŻs sentence were at a loss as they saw the petulant smile on his face.

    And Devlin had a front row seat to it all. A front row seat to the beginning of a new era. Which begged the question:

    Was her father awake yet, or did she have enough time toˇ­sneak backˇ­inˇ­? Thinking about that after seeing that feltˇ­wrong? She didnˇŻt know. Devlin hadnˇŻt ever felt something like this before.

    It was likeˇ­the world changed colors while she wasnˇŻt paying attention. Nothing made sense. Nothing. Not her clothes, not her name, not her hair, or her house. Not even where she was right that second.

    Everything sheˇŻd been up until that point feltˇ­strangeˇ­and now they feltˇ­different. Better, even. And the more she thought about it, the more things became clear to her. Or, one thing. She was different now. She was no longer who she was.

    Then, more questions came to mind.

    Why did she stay? What was her purpose? Why did her father beat her so much? What would this mean for the pirates of the world? What should she make for dinner? Why should she stay and end up like her mother? What stopped her from leaving before now? What the hell is a One Piece? Why was she asking so many goddamn questions!?

    Yes. After that dayˇ­Marcy D. Devlin would never be the same person she once was ever again. Never.

 Chapter 18

    She didnˇŻt understand. She thought eating the Devil Fruit would make everything better. ˇ®But how? How could something that looks so beautiful taste so awful!?ˇŻ

    Devlin struggled with everything she had to pry BuggyˇŻs hand away from her mouth. She had barely been able to sink her teeth into it before she felt one of his hands get a grip on her jaw and the other pushing the entire thing down her throat.

    ˇ°You should know that IˇŻm doing this for your own good. Had you actually- stop struggling so much! Had you actually bitten into it, you probably wouldnˇŻt have been able to keep it down as easily.ˇ±

    The man he ˇ°boughtˇ± the Smooth-Smooth fruit from had given him some tips on how to ˇ°properlyˇ± eat a Devil Fruit.

    Tip #1 DonˇŻt take a bite out of it, just swallow it whole.

    Tip #2 DONˇŻT TAKE A BITE OUT OF IT. SWALLOW IT WHOLE.

    Either way was disgusting, but swallowing it whole meant none of the fruitˇŻs juice would go near your taste buds. Only the far less disgusting skin.

    Tip #3 Eat the fruit far away from any people or places youˇŻd rather keep alive and intact.

    Devil Fruits were dangerous and unpredictable when consumed. Especially when you didnˇŻt know what you were getting. Nobody wanted to accidentally blow up their friends and family if they happen to get the Bomb-Bomb fruit or something as equally explosive.

    This was also the reason their walk just so happened to have landed them near the beach. In case she got something that couldnˇŻt be controlled.

    Tip #4 Devil Fruit users eat more than the average person. ItˇŻs mostly because using their abilities takes energy that the body canˇŻt produce without copious amounts of food being digested.

    Essentially, the stronger and more skilled with your powers you get, the more you need to eat to get to full fighting strength. (This is also true of people who use Haki.)

    Buggy always knew there was a reason people on the mainland always found the Roger PiratesˇŻ eating habits to be out of the ordinary. He just never knew there was a science behind it.

    Tip #5 (and the last of the useful tips) ItˇŻs not just seawater that weakens you, itˇŻs also fresh water and any ˇ®standingˇŻ water like in a bath or a really deep puddle.

    Though, standing water will only affect you if it reaches your knees. Other than that shared weakness, they varied between different fruits.

    But one thing the man hadnˇŻt mentioned was that it was only when a userˇŻs skin touched the water that they felt the strength drain from them. Nor did he mention any possibility of building up an immunity of sorts to the sea.

    Two possibilities that he himself had yet to test.

    And just like Buggy had all those years ago, Devlin froze in shock as she managed to swallow it all in one go. She gagged once, twice, then managed to stop it from happening a third time.

    ˇ®That was grossˇ­ˇŻ Even as the nausea passed, her stomach was none too pleased with what it was being forced to digest.

    But! ˇ®I have powers now! But what are they?ˇŻ She tried once more to push away from Buggy, only to succeed! However, he hadnˇŻt let her go. Rather, she phased through his arms as though they werenˇŻt even there.

    Buggy was surprised at first and then elated that sheˇŻd gotten exactly what he had hoped she would. A Logia type Devil Fruit. Or at the very least a Paramecia.

    ˇ°Gyahahaha! Yes!ˇ± He slapped his hands together. ˇ°What is it!? What did you get!? U-uhˇ­try extending your arm and pushing something out! Aim for those palm trees!ˇ± Devlin got caught up in his palpable excitement, as well as her own, and did exactly that.

    Both of them stood there, watching in fading anticipation as DevlinˇŻs attempts did nothing beyond possibly shaking the trees. But the wind was most likely responsible for that. Not Devlin.

    ˇ°Well? Anything? Anything at all?ˇ± She tried again. And again. And again and again and again. But nothing happened. No visible changes in the world around them. So she stood there, out of breath from trying so hard to do something.

    ˇ°Buggyˇ­ˇ± She ate the fruit, it tasted horrible, she got powers, and stayed in the crew. ˇ°Whatˇ­? Whyˇ­?ˇ± So what was the problem?

    He didnˇŻt know either. It was like something was building up and causing the trees to shake, but then suddenly fizzle out. ˇ°Try again.ˇ± He got a worried look in response to his unsure tone. ˇ°Devlin. Try again.ˇ±

    Nodding her head, she aimed at the trees once more. ˇ°No.ˇ± Buggy stopped her. ˇ°At me. Whatever youˇŻre doing isnˇŻt working on the trees. Use it on me.ˇ± She opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself.

    He knew what he was doing. And if something went wrongˇ­well, she trusted Buggy to be able to handle it.

    The man in question forced himself to stay put while Devlin tried one last time to make her powers work. It was much harder to purposely mess up when youˇŻve been trained as brutally as Buggy has.

    In addition to covering the entire front side of his body with Armament Haki, he also focused his Observational Haki as much as he could so as to observe what the naked eye was missing. Because he knew for a fact that there was something happening that he just wasnˇŻt understanding.

    ˇ°Okay, here goesˇ­everythingˇ­ˇ± She took a deep, shaking breath in and exhaled as she struck her arm forward.

    Even being caught off guard by the sheer force of her wind, Buggy managed to keep himself on his feet as he was pushed back through the sand.

    DevlinˇŻs eyes had been tightly shut the entire time in fear of knowing that sheˇŻd failed yet again. BuggyˇŻs eyes, however, were open wide with the realization that he couldnˇŻt see what she was doing because one normally couldnˇŻt see the wind.

    But he could feel it. Oh man could he feel it. The force of her strike was akin to that of one felt during a Hurricane. And heˇŻd experienced Hurricanes often enough in the Grand Line to know just how much destruction one could cause.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Devlin began to feel lightheaded and weak at the knees. And above that, she felt hungry. So very hungry. Seven powerful attacks done one after another was bound to drain her; Buggy was the same way when he started separating his limbs.

    ˇ°Didˇ­did it work?ˇ± She cracked open an eye. A stunned Buggy stood there, smiling oddly, and muttering something to himself. But something that caught most of her attention was the way his hair was out in the open.

    He usually wore a beanie, which was currently nowhere in sight, whenever he was with any of them or in public. She figured he was ashamed of his baldness or something. It was funny, actually. Each of them had a theory as to why Buggy never let them see his hair. Well, except for Solomon who told the girls that he couldnˇŻt care less.

    Devlin believed that he was growing bald and didnˇŻt want anyone to see what he was trying to desperately deny. And Lilith believed that Buggy was bald in a ˇ®I only have hair on the sides and back of my headˇŻ kind of way.

    She knew from what rare opportunity she had to see a little more than what he allowed to show that it wasnˇŻt a normal color. It looked to her like it was some sort of purple or indigo. Now, she could clearly see that it was a really pretty shade of blue. Royal Blue if she had to take guess.

    ˇ®Why would he hide such nice hair?ˇŻ She wondered before shaking her head. ˇ®Stop it, Devlin. You know youˇŻre just trying to distract yourself. Just ask him what you can do and get it over with. ItˇŻs probably a crap power, anyway which means IˇŻll need to figure something else out.ˇŻ

    But Devlin had no idea just how wrong she was, and Buggy couldnˇŻt wait to tell her. Speaking ofˇ­

    Buggy walked over to Devlin, after snapping out of his stupor, and raised her up from her knees. ˇ°Just tell me Buggy. Is it something-ˇ±

    His arms wrapped around her and spun her around before dropping her back onto the ground. ˇ°ItˇŻs a good one? Really?ˇ± He nodded vigorously. ˇ°Not just a good one, Devlin. Probably one of the best ones anyone could get.ˇ±

    She hadnˇŻt the strength to do so, but if she could she would be jumping up and down and screaming at the top of her lungs. Instead, she settled for more tears. Only this time, they were tears of joy and immense relief.

    At the same time, BuggyˇŻs heart was pounding in his chest. ˇ®Oh thank God this turned out as amazing as it did. I almost seriously fucked this girl over with my stupid gamble. CanˇŻt let myself get in that kind of position again. How I do that, however, is beyond me.ˇŻ

    ˇ°So? What is it? Which one did I get?ˇ± Devlin was still ignorant on how Devil Fruit classification worked. So when would be a better time to explain it to her than after sheˇŻs already eaten one.

    ˇ®I hope she doesnˇŻt get mad that I didnˇŻt explain earlieˇ­ohh~ shit! WhatˇŻs she going to do once she finds out I had another one I could have given to her?ˇŻ And now that she had the power to control the windˇ­things were not looking good for Buggy.

    But one look at her excitement had Buggy push those thoughts aside for later. For now, heˇŻd enjoy this with her. ˇ°I havenˇŻt really explained to you how Devil Fruits work, so hereˇŻs the gist of it.ˇ±

    He held up three fingers, ˇ°There are three types of Devil Fruits. Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan.ˇ± Devlin slowly nodded, paying apt attention. Depending on the type of fruit you eat, youˇŻll be given powers that no other person will have. At least, until you die. After you die, the fruit youˇŻve eatenˇ­uhh reincarnates, I guess, in a nearby fruit for someone else to eat.ˇ±

    ˇ°For example, IˇŻve eaten a Paramecia type Devil Fruit known as the Chop-Chop fruit. As such, I can manipulate my body however I like.ˇ± BuggyˇŻs three fingers began to float in mid-air.

    ˇ°Eating a Logia type fruit will give the user the ability to become, create, and manipulate an element or force of nature. ThatˇŻs the one youˇŻve eaten.ˇ± He gave her body a quick look but noticed nothing standing out.

    ˇ°Well, then what element or nature force thing did I get? I couldnˇŻt see anything when I was doing it before.ˇ± Buggy shook his head.

    ˇ°You canˇŻt exactly see the wind, can you?ˇ± He waited for her to pick up on what he was implying. ˇ°ˇ­canˇŻt see theˇ­wind? Oh! You mean I can control the wind, now!? Awesome!ˇ±

    ˇ°Not only can you control the wind, if you concentrate hard enough you can become the wind. Or at the very least youˇŻll become intangible. Unless you can do that without trying. In that case, youˇŻd need to concentrate on staying tangible.ˇ±

    ˇ°Ooooh this is so exciting! Butˇ­you said there were thee types. Logia, Paramecia, and-ˇ± Buggy cut her off with a sigh. ˇ°Zoan. Yeah. Just be glad that you didnˇŻt get that one.ˇ±

    Devlin was confused. If The first two sounded cool, then why not the third? ˇ°WhatˇŻs so bad about Zoan type Devil Fruits.ˇ± Buggy made a face, not really wanting to even answer the question.

    ˇ°Ugghhh, ok. NothingˇŻs wrong with Zoan Devil Fruits. ItˇŻs mostly just my personal views and experiences with a group of people known as the Mink. More specifically, it reminds me of someone IˇŻd really rather not remember.ˇ± It was almost painful to talk about her.

    ˇ°Oh. Ok.ˇ± Devlin could see the faraway look in his eye and switched topics. Kind of. ˇ°So, what does a Zoan type do?ˇ± SheˇŻd ask Solomon about the Mink. He was a pretty knowledgeable guy and Buggy obviously didnˇŻt want to talk about it.

    ˇ°Uh, Zoansˇ­basically theyˇŻreˇ­hmmˇ­They allow you to transform into another species or a inter-species hybrid form. And even more than that there are different ˇ®seriesˇŻ and ˇ®subclassesˇŻ A series would be like, uhhhˇ±

    What was a series he knew about? Oh. ˇ°Cat series. Dog series. Snake series. And a lot more. And then there are the subclasses: Ancient Zoan, Mythical Zoan, Carnivorous Zoan, and I think thatˇŻs all of them. IˇŻm not too sure.ˇ±

    Devlin could see Buggy slowly getting less and less excited about her new powers and decided to let the conversation go for another time.

    ˇ°Buggy, how about we go get something to eat and talk some more afterwards? Just the two of us? No sense in disturbing the others. Iˇ­honestly donˇŻt think I can wait that long.ˇ± SheˇŻd only just now realized how ravenous she was.

    He perked up at that, feeling up for eating some more and moving past the topic they were on. As well as the prospect of not needing to pay for two extra mouths.

    ˇ°Sure, yeah. LetˇŻs go.ˇ±

    -

    Solomon was fast asleep on the floor within seconds of laying down and covering himself with the blanket heˇŻd kept from his room on the ship. It was a good thing heˇŻd had the foresight to bring it on account of the bed sheets being too small.

    But even so, a full stomach and a warm blanket was all he needed to enjoy a good nightˇŻs rest.

    Lilith, on the other hand, was having a restless night constantly tossing and turning. Every time she had tried to go to sleep, she was plagued by the same vivid nightmare. It petrified her as she felt the flames and heard the screams.

    There were sounds of large cannons booming in the distance. Followed by the screeching of incoming cannonballs and the subsequent explosion. Explosions. There was more than just one. Dozens of them destroying the place she once called home.

    She couldnˇŻt tell who or what was attacking her home, but she wanted it to stop. She tried screaming and struggling with everything she had only to remain immobilized. Forced to sit and watch as the library she claimed to have hated but couldnˇŻt imagine truly being gone was burned to the ground, along with it the knowledge it once held.

    This was when sheˇŻd wake up in tears, not understanding why she was having these horrible nightmares.

    After several harrowing tries, Lilith finally manages to drift off to sleep without the accompanying nightmare. But not before she suffered through it one last time.

    Only this time, the dream ended differently. As the island burned violently in the background, thereˇŻs the shadowy outline of a man grabbing her shoulders tightly, his head moving as if he was speaking.

    But there were no words spoken. And even if there were, the raging inferno that was once Ohara was roaring in her ears.

    She woke up the next morning, disturbed at the sight of her bed. The sheets had been ripped into shreds, the pillows had thrown to the floor with large gashes in them, and the bed was covered in what she had hoped was sweat.

    She was scared. She was scared, and she needed to tell someone about this.

    There was an almost eerily timed knock at the door causing her to jump in fright. ˇ°Lilith? You awake yet? Solomon, Devlin, and I are going to go find a place to eat breakfast. If youˇŻre awake, weˇŻll wait for you to get ready. If youˇŻre notˇ­well, I guess you wonˇŻt answer then.ˇ±

    She took a moment to calm herself. ˇ°Y-yeah. Ok, IˇŻll uhˇ­IˇŻll be down in a few minutes.ˇ± It was hard to keep the waver out of her voice.

    ˇ°ˇ­Alright. WeˇŻll be downstairs.ˇ±

    That slight hesitation before he spokeˇ­damn. She knew he knew there was something wrong. And she couldnˇŻt help both cursing him for being so damn perceptive and thanking him for knowing without being told.

    She took off her pajamas, sighing as she saw the large ring of sweat around the neck. ˇ°I can already tell today is not my day.ˇ±

 Chapter 19

    After six weeks of hard labor, none of which had anything to do with Buggy or his crew, the Morning Star was completely taken apart and the new ship was built.

    And while Buggy did enjoy the very advanced facilities of the Morning Star, it was just too much of a risk to keep around. Stealing from a World Noble was a death sentence in and of itself, so if the Government found out that a group of pirates has been parading around in it committing crimes beyond that of the original theftˇ­

    Plus, the devastation Buggy wrought on that private shipyard probably didnˇŻt make things any easier on himself. He wouldnˇŻt even be surprised if there was a vice-Admiral hot on his tail, even after all this time.

    The new ship, which had yet to be named, was slightly smaller than the Morning Star had been but still better in every way. That is, if the shipwrights built it according to BuggyˇŻs extensive list of specifications.

    He wanted the very best of who and what Outcast had to offer, which was actually pretty damn good considering it was an island without any World Government presence. (i.e. ItˇŻs self-governed by the people who live there.) They did assure him, though, that everything was built exactly how he had wanted it to be.

    Enough room for fifteen people, a sizable cargo hold minus the cages, a medical bay with enough room for the medicine from the Morning Star, a separate room connected to the medical bay for special medical procedures, and a kitchen large enough for three people to cook at the same time.

    It was expensive as all hell and forced them to sell off some of the more expensive furniture from the Morning Star. But unlike their other expenses, Buggy was too taken with his ship to make much of a fuss.

    The beautiful white sails that proudly bore the Buggy Pirates Jolly Roger, a white skull-and-crossbones with a large red clowns nose (though heˇŻd deny it ever being a ˇ®clowns noseˇŻ) and black crosses on the eye sockets, contrasted the hullˇŻs sleek, ebony oak.

    Fourteen broadside cannons on either side of the ship, a large ice ram to break ice sheets and charge enemy ships should the need arise, a professionally crafted figurehead of a woman wearing a crown holding up the cannon on the shipˇŻs bow, and the name ˇ®Royal BlueˇŻ painted on the back of the ship.

    Buggy was sure the name came from the fact that his hair was blue. He wasnˇŻt one hundred percent positive, but the looks Devlin had been giving the area above his eyes was more than enough to give him an idea.

    Currently, the four of them were sitting around the ship waiting for night to fall. Since the islandˇŻs inhabitants were mostly active during the day, Solomon suggested they leave at night to not draw any attention. No attention was still the best kind of attention; especially so in a place like Outcast.

    Solomon was taking a nap in a nearby corner; even after months of freedom he still felt the need to grab sleep whenever he could. At least now it was because he enjoyed it, rather than before when he did so out of necessity.

    Devlin walked around their ship taking inventory of what they started with. Buggy was surprised to see her doing this, but also glad that sheˇŻd thought of doing so. It was something he hadnˇŻt even thought of doing.

    Buggy and Lilith, however, were up in the crowˇŻs nest. Ever since she had told him about the nightmares sheˇŻd had, he made sure that she knew to come to him if it ever happened again. Which it had the night before.

    ˇ°It was the same as last timeˇ­there was fire and screamingˇ­and shadowed man tooˇ­ˇ± Buggy listened intently for any details that might have changed since the last time.

    ˇ°ˇ­beforeˇ­when he tried to speakˇ­his head just moved slightlyˇ­but this timeˇ­I could see his mouth movingˇ­actuallyˇ­he had more features this timeˇ­but not enough to describeˇ­ˇ± Lilith took in a deep breath and let it out, doing it exactly like Buggy had showed her to.

    ˇ°Buggyˇ­thereˇŻs still something I donˇŻt understand. IˇŻve had dreams beforeˇ­but never like this oneˇ­I could feel the heat from the flamesˇ­and I could smell the smokeˇ­ˇ­even after IˇŻd woken upˇ­ˇ±

    He didnˇŻt know how to answer that. It made him feel like shit to know that she came to him with this problem, and he had no idea how to fix it. At least not beyond talking about it and letting her frustration and anxiety out rather than holding it all in and letting it slowly tear her apart.

    But it was enough for the time being. ˇ°Honestlyˇ­I donˇŻt know why youˇŻre having these dreams. But if theyˇŻre having this much of an effect on youˇ­then itˇŻs probably something important. So, I think you should pay attention to them. But thatˇŻs just what I think.ˇ±

    He shrugged his shoulders, and she was quiet for a long time after that.

    The Sun slowly disappeared beneath the horizon and the Moon began its slow upward climb in the sky. Maybe an hour or so after it began its ascent, Buggy and Lilith climbed down from the crowˇŻs nest.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ˇ°Alright guys, itˇŻs time to move out. NobodyˇŻs around, thereˇŻs a good wind behind us, and Flevance awaits!ˇ± They nod, eager to get out to sea. ˇ°Lilith, release the lines. Solomon, raise anchor. And Devlin, help me unfurl those sails once those two finish.ˇ±

    Solomon quickly raised the anchor then walked over to help Lilith with the lines. Seeing the two pile the unattached rope on the floor, Devlin flew up to the sails, working alongside BuggyˇŻs hands to unfurl them.

    Buggy watched from his position at the helm as the sails dropped down but remained next to lifeless as the strong wind from before died down to little more than a gentle breeze. But that hardly mattered when they had-

    ˇ°Devlin, take us out!ˇ± A powerful wind was caught by the sails, causing the ship to lurch forward. ˇ°How was that!?ˇ± He smiled and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the sound of his Transponder Snail.

    Purupurupurupurupuru. Purupurupurupurupuru. Purupurupurupurupuru.

    It was faint, almost buried beneath the sound of the waves slapping against the ship and the wind howling in his ears. But it was enough to catch his attention.

    ˇ°Solomon, take over for a minute. IˇŻll be right back.ˇ± Without waiting for a response, Buggy made his way to his room where the Transponder Snail resembling Shanks, complete with red hair and his CaptainˇŻs straw hat, was ringing loudly.

    Purupurupurupurupuru. Purupurupurupurupuru. Purupurupurupurupuru.

    ˇ®ItˇŻs a good thing IˇŻve been training it to increase and decrease its volume, otherwise I might not have heard it.ˇŻ Catcha.

    ˇ°You know, Shanks, when I gave you that snail I had the feeling youˇŻd be needing me to save you sooner or later. I just never thought itˇŻd be sooner rather than later.ˇ± ShanksˇŻ voice came through, but without its usually relaxed tone.

    ˇ°Buggyˇ­you need to get over here as soon as you possibly can. RougeˇŻs life is in danger.ˇ± The amusement in BuggyˇŻs voice withered. ˇ°Her life is in danger? How? Is it the marines or some World Government assholes?ˇ±

    A frustrated sigh. ˇ°No. At least, not at the moment. We have her hiding in some abandoned cabin near the center of the island. There are marines here, but no oneˇŻs looking our way. Yet. They got here a couple of months ago and they should have been gone by now. But thatˇŻs not an issueˇ­the danger is that Rouge hasnˇŻt given birth yet.ˇ±

    Thatˇ­was unexpected. He did some quick math in his head. ˇ°I know IˇŻm not a doctor or anything and my math does involves some guesswork, but shouldnˇŻt she have had that kid, like I donˇŻt know, three of four months ago!? What the hell is she doing?ˇ±

    ˇ°SheˇŻs afraid of the Marines finding her while sheˇŻs giving birth. With good reason because if they do, theyˇŻre both dead. Right around the time she should have given birth, they showed up on the island. And now that she actually thinks itˇŻs a good idea to leave, itˇŻs too late. TheyˇŻve completely surrounded the island. No one in and no one out until theyˇŻve finished.ˇ±

    ˇ°What about your crew and your ship?ˇ± He was worried that if Shanks was off the island, there would be nobody for Rouge to get help from. But Shanks, as usual, had his bases covered.

    ˇ°The ship weˇŻre using is an old one. We hid it in a cove and made it look as though itˇŻs been there for a while. Not exactly hard when you only have three people living on it.ˇ± Good. He was worried there for a second.

    ˇ°Only three? Ha! I got four!ˇ± While it wasnˇŻt the best time for it. Buggy had to. He finally managed to one up the bastard. Shanks chuckled at his friendˇŻs childishness. ˇ°Okay, okay. You win. Now, how fast do you think you could get here with a doctor? And please say sometime within the next few weeks because I donˇŻt think itˇŻs exactly healthy to keep a baby in for this long.ˇ±

    How fortunate Shanks called when he did. Any sooner and they wouldnˇŻt have had a ship to go and help them in.

    ˇ°LetˇŻs seeˇ­ˇ± Outcast was probably two days away from Loguetown now that Devlin was able to generate a near unlimited amount of wind. And the redline was maybe another day or so away from there. Flevance is God knows how many days away from there and then maybe itˇŻll take another two weeks to get from the East Blue to the South Blue.

    ˇ°IˇŻd say about three or four weeks? IˇŻm not sure exactly, but IˇŻll try and get there as soon as possibleˇ­How bad is it? Do we even stand a chance?ˇ± A short silence.

    ˇ°I donˇŻt know if they did this everywhere they went, but itˇŻs getting bad. More and more ships are showing up every couple of days. And IˇŻve been hearingˇ­rumorsˇ­about the World Government tracking down everyone whoˇŻs ever come into close contact with the Captain and killing them.ˇ±

    Buggy, having heard nothing of this, cursed quietly. ˇ°Fuck.ˇ± But Shanks hadnˇŻt finished. ˇ°And theyˇŻve been taking custody of any women and children who may be related to Roger. I donˇŻt know if they kill them, butˇ­I think-ˇ±

    ˇ°Fuck!ˇ± His hand slammed down on the table, leaving behind a splintered dent. ˇ°WeˇŻll be there in three weeks. IˇŻll see you then.ˇ± Catcha.

    Names of people and friends theyˇŻd met on their journey through the Grand Line had Buggy running back outside and taking his position at the helm once more. ˇ°Devlin, more wind. We need to be at Reverse Mountain in three days.ˇ± She didnˇŻt question why. His hardened expression said it all.

    After a few minutes of tense silence, Buggy offered an explanation. ˇ°Solomon. I know I said you couldnˇŻt go home until the heat from the theft at Loguetown had died down, but after we leave Flevance, IˇŻll drop you off at Fishman Island if you still want to go. ItˇŻll be on our way to the South Blue.ˇ±

    The Fishman in question did nothing more than nod his head.

    He looked away from his three companions. ˇ°What weˇŻre about to do will put us on the World GovernmentˇŻs radar much sooner than I had initially planned. Which means the Marines will be on our ass 24/7 from there on out. So if you have any final doubts about being on my crew, then you have until Flevance to make up your mind. IˇŻll drop you off anywhere you want me to should you decide to leave.ˇ±

    Another tense silence fell before Devlin spoke up. ˇ°What exactly are we about to do in the South Blue?ˇ±

    ˇ°ˇ­Though I shudder to call him oneˇ­a close friend of mine needs my help saving someone we know. LetˇŻs justˇ­leave it at that for nowˇ­ok?ˇ±

    After that, the winds that pushed the Royal Blue through the Calm Belt blew a little harder with each passing hour. Whether anyone noticed this, though, was unclear.

    But if one looked close enough, the tiniest hint of a relieved smile made its way to the edges of BuggyˇŻs lips. It felt good to know he wasnˇŻt in this alone.

 Chapter 20

    There it was. The Red Line. The Continent that separated the North and West Blues from the East and South. It had taken them two and a half days to haul ass to the entrance of Reverse Mountain.

    Now, the Red Line separated one half of the world from the other. The continent went as far down into the ocean as Fishman Island and stood tall at currently unknown heights. This was the monstrosity that Buggy would have to somehow cross to get to Flevance.

    How would he do so? He had many options. They could climb the Red Line, but that meant leaving behind crew members and having no ship on the other side. Not good for any Devil Fruit users who would try and make the journey.

    They could try tunneling their way through. Though itˇŻd waste centuries they didnˇŻt have so that was out.

    And finally, they could go with what Buggy had planned to do from the beginning. From what Roger and Rayleigh had told him of when they had entered the Grand Line, at the very top of the mountain there was a point where the ship had been thrown into the air.

    That was the perfect opportunity for Buggy to put his strength to the test and fly the boat down into North Blue waters. He would have the momentum of the mountainˇŻs current behind him and the support of his First MateˇŻs winds.

    So, he was feeling pretty good about what was basically floating a boat down into water. And to further boost his confidence, the ship wasnˇŻt all that heavy. At least not to him it wasnˇŻt. He figured he could hold it for maybe half an hour before his arms started to get tired.

    The only thing that he hadnˇŻt figured out was how to tell Devlin that she had to be underneath the ship with him. While she had powerful abilities, her confidence in herself was sorely lacking. Always questioning herself and seeking ways she could be better from Buggy.

    Though, he knew it would become a problem at some point. Which was why whenever she asked him ˇ®How did I do?ˇŻ he would respond with ˇ®How do you think you did?ˇŻ Buggy figured self-evaluation was the first step in self-confidence.

    But as troublesome as it was, he understood what she was feeling. To have no significant power of your own and then to suddenly find yourself with abilities that made you far more powerful than you could ever be without them.

    It made you second guess your every move. It made you feel cautious and insecure of how you were using them. And it made you cling to someone whose authority and power was higher and more experienced than your own.

    To Devlin, that was Buggy. To Buggy, that was his Captain and Vice-Captain. Just as she goes to him, he went to them. And in the end, it turned him into the person he was today. They hadnˇŻt coddled him in the slightest, making him self evaluate and adjust accordingly.

    And he could only hope he was doing the right thing, and that she turned out with the same confidence he has.

    In the end, Buggy figured that throwing her into it just before they reached the tope of the mountain was the best way to go. And besides, even if she ended up failing he would be still be there to pick up the slack.

    ˇ°Okay! HereˇŻs the plan! As soon as the current launches us up in the air, Devlin and I will quickly carry the boat off to the side and then down to the ocean below! Sound good!ˇ± He needed to yell over the roaring water.

    ˇ°Yeah!ˇ± ˇ°Okay!ˇ± ˇ°Wait!! What!?ˇ± But it was too late, the ship was quickly approaching the pick-up point. ˇ°YouˇŻll do great!ˇ± Buggy grabbed her by the hands and carried her off the ship, making sure they were at an advantageous position to grab hold of their ship.

    ˇ°I canˇŻt do this! Buggy! I really canˇŻt!ˇ± She tried desperately to wrench her arm from his, trying to fly away. A futile attempt considering his Haki infused grip.

    ˇ°YES, DEVLIN!! WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT!! YOU CAN!!ˇ± The ship was thrown into the air and it was now or never.

    ˇ°ˇ­ˇ± Devlin watched as Buggy let go of her and attempted to carry the ship on his back.

    He managed to do so for all of five seconds before a surprised and then strained expression befell him and both he and the ship began to fall. ˇ°Devlinˇ­!ˇ±

    Lilith screamed as she lost her grip and began to float upwards before Solomon

    Devlin floated in place for a moment before gasping, ˇ°No!ˇ±

    She flew down the mountain side, she could only just barely manage to reach their Jolly Roger before sheˇŻd begin to fall behind. After several tries, they passed through a layer of clouds and she could see that the ocean was fast approaching.

    ˇ®No! Please! Just a little closerˇ­ˇŻ She reached out willing herself to go faster. ˇ®Closer.ˇŻ She passed the flag, grabbing onto the wooden mast. Then, rather than jumping and climbing her way down, she pushed off and grabbed the bottom of the sails.

    Finally, she managed to jump and grab hold of the outer deck before slipping feeling herself being forced to fly on her own. The sea was even closer. She had a minute to save them, probably less, or they would all smash right into water.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ˇ°No goddammit! Faster! Closer!!ˇ± Devlin was almost there. She could see Buggy straining to hold the ship up, his hands gripping the wood tightly. It looked as though he had miscalculated the weight and ended up unable to adjust from the position he was in.

    She reached out, almost enough to grab hold of the bottom and pull herself over. After that it would just be a matter of using the wind to push the ship upward and slow its descent. But, of course, nothing goes according to plan.

    A bird, a white blur to Devlin, goes straight through her, making her momentarily lose focus and speed.

    The water was less than twenty seconds away, and the ship seemed to be falling faster than before. She could see it playing out in her head, the ship hitting the water, wooden splinters going everywhere, and her new friends broken bodies floating in the water. It was too much. It was all too much.

    She exploded. ˇ°I! SAID! NO!ˇ± There was a loud ˇ®BoomˇŻ that rattled her body and suddenly Devlin was no longer next to the ship but insteadˇ­

    ˇ°Below it?ˇ± But there was no time for questions. DevlinˇŻs arms reached out and she pushed harder than sheˇŻd had in the last six weeks. The effect was instantaneous.

    The Royal Blue began to slow its descent before eventually hovering over the water long enough for Buggy to float back on board. He dropped to the floor, panting and sweating heavily. Devlin came back on board soon after sheˇŻd lowered the ship gently into the waiting water.

    From his position sitting upright against the railing, he spared a glance towards Devlin. He smiled tiredly, before coughing. From coughing he worked his way up to wheezing, and then to chuckling, and finally full on laughter.

    Devlin, however, stared at her captain blankly before walking over with an increasingly incredulous look on her face. She watched on as he laughed and laughed before coughing and trying to reign in the smile on his face.

    ˇ°See? WhatˇŻd I tell you? I knew you could do-ˇ± He stopped short as she fell to her knees beside him, the incredulous look on her face giving way to teary eyes and a violent sob. ˇ°Iˇ­Iˇ­Iˇ­ˇ± She took in a shuddering breath. ˇ°I was so scaaa~red!!ˇ±

    She collapsed into him, clenching his shirt with her fists and burying her face into his lap. Lilith and Solomon, upon hearing her wailing from their spot on the other side of the ship, chose not to say or do anything outside of going down to the lower decks and trying to shake off what just happened.

    ˇ°Heyˇ­ItˇŻs ok.ˇ± He rubbed circles into her back, whispering gently. ˇ°WeˇŻre all ok.ˇ± They sat there, Devlin trembling in his embrace and Buggy contemplating whether his stunt was worth the terror she felt.

    In the end, Buggy decided that it was worth it. He needed his people to be ready to face the dangers coming their way. Of course, heˇŻd never do something this extreme againˇ­if he didnˇŻt have to. It made his heart ache to see just how fragile Devlin looked clinging to him as if he were her only lifeline.

    Devlin sniffed away her tears, signaling the end of her meltdown. She pulls away, giving Buggy the opportunity to say his piece.

    ˇ°IˇŻm sorry.ˇ± He gets a confused look from her. ˇ°I pushed you too far. IˇŻm sorry.ˇ± He hung his head, feeling every bit like the piece of shit he knew he was.

    She sniffs again but places a hand on his cheek. His jaw clenches, waiting for her to yell at him, or hit him, or do any number of other things he deserves to get. But none of that happens. Instead, he feels her hand guide his head to look up at her.

    ˇ°Did you do it to help me?ˇ± He nods his head. ˇ°Did you do it to be cruel?ˇ± He shakes his head. ˇ°ˇ­would you do it againˇ­if you had to?ˇ± He hesitates before slowly nodding. ˇ°Ok, then.ˇ±

    Buggy didnˇŻt cry often. In fact, the last time, and the only time heˇŻd ever admit to, heˇŻd shed any tears was on the journey to the East Blue with Rayleigh. The thought of his CaptainˇŻs surrender and inevitable execution looming over every thought was more than enough to push him to that point.

    But as he felt Devlin wrap her arms around him, silently forgiving him, he came as close to shedding tears as he would ever come again. At least, not for a very long time.

    That, however, was a story for another day.

    -

    Flevance, also known as ˇ°White Cityˇ±, is a country in the North Blue known for its abundance in a special and rare ore known as Amber Lead. The countryˇŻs economy enjoys boon after boon as Amber Lead is used in everyday product such as make-up, pottery, and wall paint. The ore has even been used in producing weapons such as bullets, swords, knives, and even parts of a gun.

    For nearly a century, the country has enjoyed this wonderful resource seemingly without consequence. Unbeknownst to the people of Flevance, their Royals, the World Government, and a select few outside of them harbor a dark secret.

    The Amber Lead that has made their country prosperous will soon be their downfall. The results of a geological survey done by the World Government on the island nearly a century ago revealed the poisonous nature of Amber Lead with prolonged exposure to the skin.

    This prolonged exposure has been secretly poisoning generation after generation of Flevance citizens without them being any the wiser.

    And during this time, the World Government has sanctioned the use Amber Lead and allowed the information of its deadly side effects remain hidden within their grasp.

    To cover their tracks, they will not correct the world beyond the soon to be quarantined island of Flevance that ˇ°Amber Lead Poisoningˇ± is not merely a hereditary disease, but one that infects ay and all who come across an infected individual.

    Instead, they will allow FlevanceˇŻs neighbors to invade and exterminate its population of infected and bury the truth behind the sick lies theyˇŻve helped spin.

    To add insult to injury, with every generation that passes, the amount of time they live shortens. Eventually, given enough timeˇ­the population of Flevance will die off before reaching adulthood. When this happens, there will be no more generations.

    Only the memory of a dead people whose trusted leaders led them all like a lamb to the slaughter.

    But there is hope. Yes. In the country lives a doctor, one who belongs to the penultimate generation of the infected population of Flevance, who will one day discover the means for a cureˇ­

    Of course, none of this has happened yet. And none of it will happen for years to come. But that doesnˇŻt mean the outcome of such a tragic and unfortunate situation canˇŻt be influenced and, perhaps, even changed in the present.

    Especially so with the involvement of a certain group of pirates who are on their way to an unsuspecting Flevance right this minute.

 Chapter 21

    After everyone calmed down and moved past the incident at the Red Line, nobody spoke of it again.

    Instead, they turned their attention to their arrival on an island known as Spider Miles. Apparently, it was an island that was used for waste processing and was littered with mountains upon mountains of scrap metal.

    There were some buildings that Buggy guessed to be factories of some sort, but he didnˇŻt pay much attention to those. He only cared about getting directions to Flevance.

    The men and women hanging around the docks didnˇŻt know how to get to Flevance, but with some rather helpful directions, they were able to locate someone who could. Turns out, Flevance was only a weekˇŻs journey south of where they were.

    This was great news. With DevlinˇŻs wind and the Royal BlueˇŻs naturally superior speed, they could be at Flevance in less than four days. It was times like this that Buggy liked to thank the Universe for creating the Blues.

    See, in the Blues there were only the dangers of a regular sea. Storms, mild waves, the occasional whirlpool, and the very rare occurrence of an actual threat to him or his crew. Whereas the Grand Line was just danger after perilous danger.

    It was nice to be the strongest person within a thousand miles in any direction. Which is exactly what Buggy thought of himself.

    ˇ°Soˇ­you said Flevance was known for its doctors and its Amber Lead.ˇ± Buggy nodded. ˇ°Is it safe to assume weˇŻre not going to need Amber Lead to rescue your friend?ˇ± Solomon was curious. What kind of doctor were they going to need that they required them to travel all the way to the North Blue for one?

    He looked at Solomon, internally debating how much to tell them. ˇ°The person we knowˇ­sheˇŻs pregnant. But because there are peopleˇ­huntingˇ­her, she hasnˇŻt given birth yet.ˇ± They shared a grimace.

    ˇ°So, weˇŻre going to Flevance to get someone who specializes in baby doctoring.ˇ± Lilith snorted while Devlin burst out laughing. ˇ°Baby doctoring!?ˇ±

    BuggyˇŻs felt a hot blush of embarrassment spread across his face. ˇ°I- I donˇŻt know the actual name, okay!?ˇ± He felt even more resentful when Solomon shared in their amusement with a smirk.

    ˇ°Anyway, after we pick whoever that is up weˇŻll be heading back to the East Blue. From there weˇŻll travel across the Calm Belt, make one or two quick stops in the Grand Line before venturing to the Drum kingdom, for another doctor, and finally weˇŻll travel through a second Calm Belt before entering the South Blue and hauling ass to Baterilla.ˇ±

    ˇ°The only issue should be when we enter the Grand Line. The waters will be excruciating to navigate through. WeˇŻll need an eternal log pose since regular log poses take too long. Hmmmˇ­we might need to hit a Marine baseˇ­maybe twoˇ­ˇ±

    Devlin and Lilith looked appalled at the idea of purposely antagonizing a Marine base of all places. Solomon, however, was of a different mindset. ˇ°In other words, you want to antagonize the Marines by using their own equipment against them?ˇ±

    Buggy nodded. At that, Solomon gave him a smile. A twisted, vicious smile that showed he reveled in the thought of striking back at those who permitted his inhumane imprisonment.

    He figured that if they could take away his freedom without repercussion, then it was only fair that he take something of theirs in return. And their sense of security was as good a place to start as any.

    ˇ°Is this going to be an ongoing move for us or a one-time thing out of desperation?ˇ± Buggy shrugged his shoulders. ˇ°More than likely, we will do this more than once.ˇ± The smile deepened.

    ˇ°IˇŻm in.ˇ± Both men turned their heads towards the girls expectantly.

    Lilith, who was also a victim of the World GovernmentˇŻs tolerance of slavery, hesitated. ˇ°We wonˇŻt kill anyone, will we? I mean, weˇŻre just gonna sneak in and sneak outˇ­right?ˇ± Even after the year of hell where sheˇŻd come to know the true meaning of suffering, revenge just wasnˇŻt her.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    SheˇŻd rather forget and move on with her life instead of wasting it feeling anger and injustice at the worldˇŻs cruelty; she doubted she could ever forgive those responsible. A conclusion she came to during her nights aboard the ship when her and the other slaves all whimpered and cried themselves to sleep.

    ˇ°No. We donˇŻt kill unless we have to.ˇ± Buggy gave a pointed look at Solomon, who just grunted and looked the other way. It didnˇŻt matter though. Buggy would keep him in check if need be.

    Now it was down to Devlin. Under the scrutiny of three pairs of eyes, she shrugged nonchalantly. ˇ°I donˇŻt care either way. Butˇ­not all marines are badˇ­so maybe we shouldnˇŻt go too far if weˇŻre going to do it.ˇ±

    ˇ°Hm. Okay, then. WeˇŻll rob the Marines as non-lethally as we can.ˇ± Though, non-lethal didnˇŻt mean they couldnˇŻt be violent and destructive. Oh, yeah. Buggy was going to enjoy taking those assholes down a peg.

    -

    The next few days were relatively peaceful ones save for the occasional marine ship theyˇŻd come across. It forced them to go off course a couple of times in order to evade detection. Annoying, but better than getting into a shootout.

    This peace lasted for four days and three nights. On the fourth night, however, Lilith experienced her nightmare yet again.

    There were no notable changes in the shadowed manˇŻs features like the last time sheˇŻd had it. But instead of the shadowed man trying to speak to her, he did something different. Rather than grabbing her by the shoulders, he raised an arm and pointed behind her.

    She was allowed to move this time, whereas before she couldnˇŻt move at all. Following his outstretched finger, she turned, facing away from the ever burning Ohara.

    On the deck of the ship stood a man she had never seen before. There were no out of the ordinary features or details that could help him to stand out in a crowd.

    He was just standing there staring at her. It was unnerving the way he was so very nonchalant about the whole thing. There he was on a pirate ship and in full view of an entire island being burned to nothingness, and he was smiling as if nothing happening was out of the ordinary.

    The stranger suddenly began waving to her. No. That wasnˇŻt quite right. Taking a closer look, she realized the man was waving to someone behind her.

    Could there be someone behind her? Was the sight of Ohara distracting her from other details she was clearly not seeing?

    Lilith spun on her heels, gasping as she found Ohara was no longer there. Again, that didnˇŻt seem to be accurate. After a quick check, she realized it wasnˇŻt just Ohara that disappeared. The ocean and the ship as well were justˇ­gone.

    The man, however, was still there and still smiling so very peacefully. Only difference this time was the woman who was now standing beside him, sharing his smile.

    The man mustˇŻve said something funny because they were laughing and holding onto each other. Seeing such a nice scene caused Lilith to smile a bit as well. She was a sucker for happy moments like that one.

    Then, the woman had opened her mouth to say something but froze. Curious, Lilith looked back to the man and sawˇ­white.

    A large white patch suddenly appeared on his face and extended down into his shirt. His knees began to wobble and then he collapsed with a strangled cry.

    The woman began to yell and scream for someone to come help him before she herself had a white patch of her own along her forearm. And just like the man had, she too collapsed to the floor in anguish.

    This time, the change in scenery was much more apparent.

    It was obviously a large hospital of some sort, perhaps the emergency room, with people running around placing patients into unoccupied beds. But it was hard to tell who the patients were and who the doctors were.

    They all had the same affliction it seemed. Large white patches covering their entire bodies.

    Had this been the end of it, Lilith might have been able to play this entire thing off as one bad dream bleeding into another.

    But, of course, the nightmare always continues. And this time it did so with the sound of gunfire and the terrified screams of what sounded like dozens of people trying to run for their lives echoing from the world outside.

    One last time. The scene changed and showed not people getting gunned down or succumbing to the white patches, but random objects. Things that had seemingly no relevance to anything sheˇŻd seen before.

    Vases, kitchen utensils, watering cans, bowls, buildings, nail polish, farming tools, and an assortment of other things that Lilith could not connect to the all the death and sickness. It just didnˇŻt make any sense for her to be seeing these meaningless things.

    ˇ°WhatˇŻs the connection? WhatˇŻs the connection? WhatˇŻs the connection? WhatˇŻs the connection? WhatˇŻs the-ˇ± The final image. The piece that connected it all together. It was a sign. A literal sign.

    Welcome to the White City! You are now entering Flevance!

    ˇ°CONNECTION!?ˇ± She shot up in her bed breathing heavily. None of what sheˇŻd been seeing before had made sense until now! ˇ®That was Flevance! Is that what weˇŻre going to see when we get there?ˇŻ

    Which begged the second question, was Ohara going to burn? Oh, she felt sick to her stomach over this. What was she going to do? What could she do? She didnˇŻt-

    ThatˇŻs right. She didnˇŻt, but Buggy might.

 Chapter 22

    Judging from the position of the Moon and the Sun, it was most certainly not time for Buggy to get up. He could tell because the Moon was still out, and the Sun was nowhere to be seen. Yet, whoever was knocking on his door obviously hadnˇŻt noticed this very important detail.

    Speaking through his very comfortable pillow, he mustered up every ounce of volume he could so whoever was at the door could hear him clearly.

    ˇ°The only excuse you should have for knocking on my door this late is that youˇŻve been fatally wounded and need my help to not die. If that is the case, IˇŻm afraid youˇŻve only sealed your fate.ˇ± The knocking stopped momentarily as he spoke before immediately picking up again.

    ˇ°mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmggrrahhhhhh!!!! Okay. Okay! IˇŻm up! IˇŻm up and IˇŻm walking towards the doooor!ˇ± He swung the door open, revealing a very out of breath Lilith, ˇ°Hello! What can I do for you now that couldnˇŻt wait another nine hours?ˇ±

    Completely oblivious, Lilith takes the false cheer in his voice at face value. ˇ°Oh, good, so you donˇŻt mind if we talk for a while?ˇ± She leaned in a little. ˇ°I had another one of those dreamsˇ­ˇ±

    It didnˇŻt take long for her to recount everything she experienced. And judging by the look on his face, her earlier assumption had been right. Buggy would figure out what she should do about these horrible nightly occurrences.

    ˇ°I donˇŻt think you can do anything about them. In fact, I donˇŻt think there is anything you or anyone else can do about them.ˇ± Or maybe he wouldnˇŻt.

    ˇ°I thinkˇ­these are more than just simple nightmares. ThereˇŻs a very real chance that youˇŻre having visions of events that havenˇŻt happened yet.ˇ± He spoke quickly, trying to get his reasoning out before she immediately rebuffed them.

    ˇ°Just think about it. You said theyˇŻre vivid enough to be felt long after youˇŻve woken up, nobodyˇŻs saying anything about either island facing any catastrophe in any of the newspapers we subscribe to, and thereˇŻs a person whose face you canˇŻt recognize that is slowly developing features each time you see them.ˇ±

    Lilith nodded, considering the possibility.

    ˇ°That means that you probably wonˇŻt know who they are until you have a few more of these visions. All of these are the tell-tale signs of having a vision! The frequency, associated tragedy, random occurrences, and the mysterious person who you canˇŻt recognize? ItˇŻs something straight out of a childrenˇŻs storybook.ˇ±

    Visions. Of the future. Lilith didnˇŻt even bother to restrain the sigh that escaped her. Well, she certainly didnˇŻt expect that. Butˇ­it did make more sense than anything sheˇŻd previously come up with.

    ˇ°You knowˇ­with you being a psychic, Solomon from a different species, and Devlin being the shortest person alive,ˇ± Devlin, several doors down from Buggy, would wake up the next morning with the need to plant her fist directly into BuggyˇŻs face. ˇ°IˇŻm collecting quite the diverse group of individuals.ˇ±

    They both shared a quiet laugh. ˇ°Soˇ­what are we going to do when we get to Flevance? I mean, we donˇŻt want to catch whatever they may or may not have. Do you think gloves and clothes that cover any exposed skin might be oaky?ˇ±

    Lilith wanted to say yes but wasnˇŻt sure. The people from her dre-vision had those patches of white going towards areas of the skin covered by clothing. ˇ°Maybe? It might be in the air or it might just be from some local patient zero. Who knows?ˇ±

    ˇ°If itˇŻs airborne, then I think the gasmasks we have on board should suffice until we can see Flevance for ourselves. As for ˇ®patient zeroˇŻ, I think clothes that completely cover our body should also keep us in the clear. All we gotta do then is to make sure we donˇŻt touch anything.ˇ±

    Conveniently, Buggy was prepared for this kind of situation. He didnˇŻt plan to contract any diseases but was prepared to handle a situation that might give him one nonetheless. HeˇŻd become somewhat of a germaphobe after finding out about Roger.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Up until that point, it wasnˇŻt even a thought in his mind that the many islands theyˇŻd visited also had many diseases of varying lethality. And to drive the point home, it was his Captain that had gotten sick. The strongest man he knew was suddenly given a death sentence from seemingly nowhere.

    As a result, Buggy made sure to be prepared for anything poisonous or contagious in nature. Which meant Outcast suddenly found itself short of several gas masks, gloves, combat boots, and several other protective articles of clothing. Several of which were specially ordered for persons ofˇ­unusual size.

    Lilith nodded, her shoulders sagging in relief at the prospect of being even somewhat prepared. Dealing with her visions on her own would probably have driven her crazy had Buggy not been there to help.

    Buggy clapped his hands together. ˇ°Okay!ˇ± The false cheeriness, still not apparent to Lilith, returned. ˇ°WeˇŻve made a plan, talked it out, and gained some very crucial knowledge about both yourself and Flevance. Now itˇŻs time for bed!ˇ±

    He got up from the bed, grabbing Lilith by the arm and walking her down the hall to her room. ˇ°Goodnight and IˇŻll see you in the morning!ˇ± She smiled at him, wishing him a goodnight in return.

    Buggy tiredly laid down in his bed, pulled the covers over his head, and peacefully fell asleep. As far as he was concerned they had a solid plan and that was enough to warrant a good nightˇŻs sleep.

    Of course, this ˇ®good nightˇŻs sleepˇŻ lasted all of five seconds before his thrice-damned brain started worrying about the smaller details and contingencies that had yet to become actual issues they needed to deal with.

    ˇ®If there is an outbreak of some kind, the only hope Rouge and the babyˇŻll have will be that old hag Kureha. CanˇŻt risk having some infection getting anywhere near those two.ˇŻ Though he shuddered to think of what that woman would do to poor, unsuspecting Rouge.

    While she was a great doctor, second only to Crocus, her bedside manner was complete shit. Something that would only endanger an already delicate situation. Would he need to threaten her with violence? Could he do something like that?

    Most definitely. The old bat would either try to threaten him with violence to leave her alone orˇ­no no. Threatening him to leave her alone was exactly what she would do.

    ˇ®IˇŻllˇ­deal with her when we get there. For now, Flevance is the problem we have to deal with first and foremost.ˇŻ After settling that and a few more minor issues, he felt as though he had some room to breathe.

    And with a mind free of immediate worries, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep until the morning Sun came and greeted the worldˇ­just two hours later.

    -

    ˇ°Morning, Buggy.ˇ± Devlin yawned as she walked back to her room to sleep. She figured some rest would do her good after sending half the night on sentry duty. Every night had a different combination of two people taking turns being on watch. Last night was Solomon and Devlin.

    He responded with a grunt of acknowledgement. ˇ°Meeting. Five minutes. Dining Hall.ˇ± Then left without a word. What Devlin just experienced was Buggy operating on very little sleep. A Buggy that lacked well-rested BuggyˇŻs patience and restraint.

    And a Buggy that the others would soon find they didnˇŻt very much like to be around when angered.

    ˇ°Oˇ­kayˇ± But he was already down the hall by the time she responded. ˇ®What was that about?ˇŻ she wondered.

    ˇ°Hey.ˇ± He knocked on LilithˇŻs door. Solomon was already in the dining hall already since, so Buggy wouldnˇŻt bother getting him. He spent most mornings in there, relaxing until he was needed for something.

    ˇ°WeˇŻre about to have a meeting in the dining hall. ItˇŻs about Flevance.ˇ± The door opened, revealing an on-edge Lilith. She wasnˇŻt sure if telling the others was a good idea since she was barely able to fully wrap her head around it.

    Her head dropped, unsure of how to go about bringing it up. Should she tell them outright? Hint at it until someone gets it? Wait for it to blow up in her face? And what happened if she did tell them?

    Lilith could see it already. Rejection. Disdain. Ridicule. Who knows how they might act should she decide to tell them. Or not tell them. Oh, damn it! Why was deciding what to do so hard?

    Buggy tapped his hand on her arm, prompting her to look up at him. His perpetual scowl visibly lessened. ˇ°We donˇŻt have to tell them if you donˇŻt feel comfortable with it. As far as theyˇŻll be concerned, my friend was the one who told me about the rumor of a sickness spreading across Flevance.ˇ±

    She smiled. ˇ°Thank you, Buggy. YouˇŻre a really good friend.ˇ± He froze as she wrapped her arms around him, not expecting it. ˇ®SheˇŻs usually not soˇ­touchy-feely.ˇŻ It was understandable considering the circumstances of her life thus far.

    When she didnˇŻt let go after a few seconds, he brought his own arm up and placed it on her back. ˇ°Yeah~ yeah~. Justˇ­try not to get so worked up about this kind of stuff anymore.ˇ± He ruffled her hair before pulling away.

    ˇ°And if you do, just remember that you''ll always have us to help you through it." With that, he turned and began walking towards the dining hall.

 Chapter 23

    so unfair! Why canˇŻt Solomon stay behind!?ˇ±

    whateverˇ­Next time, though, IˇŻm going on the island and someone else is staying behind to guard the crummy ship!ˇ±

    Captain? They kidnap children. Do I look like a child? Huh~?ˇ±

    anyone even thinks about coming into my room to wake me up without at least one life-threatening wound or situation you canˇŻt handle on your ownˇ­ˇ±

    look cool.ˇ± They each wore black boots that had the pants made out of tough material tucked into them which in turn had the undershirt, t-shirt, and long sleeve shirt tucked in it.

    Do not get yourself caught by those child abductors!ˇ± Was the heat getting to him, or was her hair beginning float in the airˇ­? ˇ®No~ Must be the heat. Hair canˇŻt just rise on its ownˇ­right?ˇŻ

    and when you do~ˇ± The air around her stilled in response to her unconscious command.

    only slightly.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    bad. The bone had managed to pierce the skin, revealing a jagged and bloody-

    similar wounds heˇŻs had in the past beyond the basics of how to keep the leg from needing to be cut off. HeˇŻd seen what happened to those who didnˇŻt reset the bone.

    hurt.ˇ±

    did regret was the fact that heˇŻd lost his knives in their intense fight and ended up with a sword. Had he had any kind of knives or a weapon with a comparably smaller blade, he could have controlled the situation much more than he was able to.

    without anger or regret towards his actions, but also with a sort of peace.

    hurt him, at least the sharper ones hadnˇŻt, his vision was severely limited as they pressed against his eye.

    blind, that pretty much prevented him from fixing himself. Besides, picking out the damn things by hand wasnˇŻt exactly sanitary nor was it painless or even easy to do.

    wanted to trust them as much as he trusted his friends and mentors on the Oro Jackson. But it took time and shared experiences both good and tragic to forge such unbreakable bonds. And until then, heˇŻd keep them all under scrutiny.

    Of course he knew Lilith would be eternally grateful to him for taking her in and rescuing her from a life of slavery. For giving both women the power and know-how to even somewhat defend themselves. And of course he knew that Solomon was equally grateful; even if he didnˇŻt show it as often as Lilith tried to.

    three!ˇ± Lilith convulsed as the bone was forced back into her leg and reconnected with its other half.

    woah! ItˇŻs almost like you have these spikes coming out of your damn eyes sockets! How are you not on the floor in unbearable pain right now?ˇ±

    no flying.ˇ± Buggy had just barely left the ground before SolomonˇŻs words grounded him. ˇ°The way things just ended up, IˇŻm likely to lose my head if we risk that shit again. WeˇŻre walking.ˇ±

    would save their lives.

 Chapter 24

    It was a longer walk than either of them had expected. An entire hour just to get within sight of Flevance and then an extra twenty minutes of speed walking to get to the cityˇŻs limits. It was a pain in the ass for sure, but at least they were finally there.

    Oddly enough, there were no guards or marines waiting for them at the gate. There were people coming in and going out using the main road, as opposed to the nonexistent one they used to get there, but that was about it.

    Buggy wore his hood as he walked to the gate. He did not want people to get freaked out about the state his eyes were in. It was bad enough hearing their reactions to the giant Fishman carrying around what they thought to be a body wrapped in a jacket.

    Though, to be fair, that was exactly how Solomon looked carrying around the still unconscious form of Lilith. It seemed that she wasnˇŻt going to wake up anytime soon, either.

    The two men walked through the gate, ignoring the growing whispers of the citizens and making their way to where BuggyˇŻs Observational Haki had noticed the largest of the three hospitals that Flevance had.

    ˇ°Solomon, I need you to take a good look at the people around us. Do they seem sick or in any way contagious?ˇ± Buggy waited as he looked around in every direction, studying each person as they walked by.

    After a few moments of silence ˇ°Everybody looksˇ­fine to me. You think maybe your friend was wrong about the-ˇ±

    ˇ°What about their skin? Look carefully. No white patches or anything?ˇ± This was crucial. Lilith had mentioned that the afflicted individuals she saw had white patches that made them fall over in anguish.

    Solomon shook his head, not that Buggy could see him doing so. ˇ°No, Buggy. TheyˇŻre allˇ± He wipes the sweat from his forehead with his free hand. ˇ°doing just fine. I think itˇŻs safe to take off all these layers weˇŻre wearing.ˇ±

    ˇ°ˇ­youˇŻre sure?ˇ± Solomon grunted. ˇ°Okay. But donˇŻt take anything off until we get a better grasp of the situation at the hospital. I donˇŻt want to find out there is an infectious disease the moment I take all this shit off.ˇ±

    The walk to the hospital was short, thankfully, as the heat was making Solomon lightheaded. There was also the little matter of Lilith beginning to stir from her short nap. That by itself wouldnˇŻt be a problem, but she still had a very much broken leg that needed to be tended to by an actual doctor.

    As they walked into the hospital lobby, the two men sighed in relief as the Sun no longer bore down on them. But that was only a momentary distraction; a welcome one, but a distraction nonetheless.

    ˇ°HowˇŻs it look? Anyone here showing any of the symptoms.ˇ± Solomon said nothing as he looked around. He saw a man with a nasty looking cut on his forehead and a woman clutching her side sitting side by side, another woman who looked as though she hadnˇŻt slept in a few days, a nurse walking an elderly man out, and a family who seemed to be waiting for someone.

    Not one of them had white patches or marks of any kind. ˇ®Thank God.ˇŻ Solomon breathed out in relief. ˇ®I can finally take all this shit off.ˇŻ Fishmen and heavy layers on a hot day did not go together.

    ˇ°Just like I said. No one.ˇ± Buggy nodded his head before walking to where he sensed the reception desk to be. As he walked he kept his head down and his movements nonthreatening. Given how he was dressed and the weather outside, heˇŻd be surprised if people didnˇŻt see him as weird.

    ˇ°Hello, how may I help you?ˇ± The woman at the counter sounded nice and not at all disturbed, at least not noticeably, by the oddly dressed trio that had just walked in. She didnˇŻt even find SolomonˇŻs size to be worth more effort than simply raising her eyebrows.

    ˇ°My friend and I need a doctor. SheˇŻs broken her leg and Iˇ­want to show mine to the doctor personally.ˇ± The woman assumed that whatever the issue was, it was more than likely to have something to do with his face or head.

    ˇ°IˇŻm afraid youˇŻll have to wait until they,ˇ± she gestured to the people in the waiting room. ˇ°get seen first. It shouldnˇŻt be too long. Maybe two hours? Three at most.ˇ± Which wasnˇŻt that long at all given how busy the hospital could get on other days.

    She turned to her left to reach for the necessary forms form. On them, Buggy would need to fill out his and LilithˇŻs medical information. ˇ°But it might even be sooner depending onˇ­how fastˇ­Drˇ­Trafalgarˇ­ˇ±

    As she sat back up, forms in hand, she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. ˇ°Sorry. I canˇŻt wait that long. How about you take me to him instead.ˇ± The poor woman felt as though she could hardly breathe. ˇ°Right. Now.ˇ±

    Slowly, she got up from her desk and walked towards the door. She tried her best not to make any sudden movements in fear of startling Buggy and causing the gun to accidentally go off. Not that Buggy would make such a rookie mistake.

    Any time he held a gun, it was held without hesitation and without uncertainty. Though, nine times out of ten he would only use it to threaten and possibly maim. Rarely to kill. Aside from other pirates, at least.

    Buggy turned to Solomon, who had watched on indifferently, and waved him over. Surprisingly, no one had even noticed the poor womanˇŻs dilemma. Only the ever-watchful Solomon.

    Though, it wasnˇŻt as if those people were her only chance at living through this ordeal. SheˇŻd make it out alive. Slightly traumatized, maybe, but still very much alive.Stolen story; please report.

    -

    Trafalgar D. Jal stood over the sink, cleaning the last of his dirty medical instruments and placing them neatly back on the tool tray. Smiling as he finished washing and drying the smallest scalpel in his collection, he turned towards the tray to place it with the others.

    As he sets it down, he notices the receptionist, a young woman who had only recently gotten a job at the hospital, standing by the door. He smiled and gave her a questioning look.

    The woman opened her mouth several times to say something, but the words seemed to just die off before she could get them out. Jal, thinking that she might just be shy around her new boss, broke the silence.

    ˇ°What can I do for you, Rosie?ˇ± He waved her in.

    Hesitantly, the receptionist now known as Rosie stepped into the room. As she started to move, she realized that once she was through the door, there would be a moment, a split second, when the gun was no longer aimed at her head.

    Knowing that it was probably the only opportunity se would have to get away from the hooded gunman, she broke into a run the second her foot took that first step.

    Aided by a level of agility that she would never be able to achieve without the copious amounts of adrenaline currently coursing through her, Rosie turned on her heel the moment she could and slammed the open door shut.

    She locked it, to her dismay it was one of those flimsy knob locks that could easily be broken by hand, and then ran to hide behind Jal, who seemed to be confused and mildly concerned at her actions.

    Had there been any windows, she would have likely jumped out in an attempt to escape from the man with the gun. But the hospital made sure to leave all examination rooms windowless as there had been one too many cases in the past where patients, mostly women, were spied on during examinations that required them to take off their clothes.

    It was also the reason that the trees around the hospital were void of any branches and only planted in the front and back of the building.

    ˇ°Wh-? Rosie, whatˇŻs going on?ˇ± He looked at the locked door and then at the trembling woman who was clutching his coat. ˇ°WhyˇŻd you lock the door?ˇ± Her only response was to tighten her hold and clench her eyes shut.

    He frowned and as about to try and calm her down but was interrupted by the sound of the door knob shaking. His heart sank slightly, RosieˇŻs troubling behavior and the conveniently timed sound of someone trying to get in to the room without even knocking planted small seeds of paranoia in his mind.

    ˇ®Is someone after her? Why? Do they want to hurt her? Are they going to hurt me?ˇŻ His heart began to beat slightly faster. ˇ®Oh shitˇ­Are they going hurt me?ˇŻ Faster and faster, stimulated by every thought and every concern flashing through his head.

    ˇ®What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?ˇŻ He looked around the room for something to defend themselves with. His eyes darted to the cabinets, closed, then to the containers on the counter filled with miscellaneous objects, all useless, and finally to the tray of instruments beside the sink.

    ˇ®Perfect.ˇŻ He could at least try to fight them if he got his hands on one of them.

    His heart began pounding in his chest as the person on the other side of the door began to forcibly turn the knob all the way in one direction. The sound of metal twisting and wood snapping told him that whoever it was were close to getting in.

    Rosie, now sobbing inconsolably into the fabric of JalˇŻs lab coat, tightens her grip further. ˇ®Okayˇ­definitely not helping, Rosie.ˇŻ

    He moved as fast as he could with the terrified woman still holding on to him.

    And just as he manages to grab hold of the largest of his surgical knives, the sound of the door being broken and then violently kicked in precedes the sound of Rosie screaming bloody murder and the metallic clang of the surgical knife dropping to the floor.

    -

    Rouge sat on the windowsill, reading one of the old books sheˇŻd found in her small hideaway. The title was mostly worn out, but she could still make out the words ˇ®R_i__ow _i_tˇŻ It was an enjoyable respite from the situation she found herself in.

    Though she had the feeling that even if what she was reading was captivating, the dark truths that lie in wait in the back of her mind would have managed to seep into her foremost thoughts anyways.

    She wouldnˇŻt lie to herself. Things were bad. Worse than sheˇŻd originally thought they would be. Hindsight had shown her just how foolish she was being in the months leading to RogerˇŻs execution.

    Too upset to do more than mourn for her husband, though she and Roger had never officially married, and lash out at others, Rouge had allowed her enemies to close in. And when the time came for her senses to finally return to her, it was far too late to run.

    At least, it was until Shanks had appeared before her for the first time since their short meeting on the Oro Jackson. After all, he and Buggy saw her as Nakama. And you always do your damnedest to save your Nakama.

    Whether they want you to or not. And up until sheˇŻd finally come to see reason, she did not.

    But by then it was too late to leave. Too late to make the right decision for both her and her baby. Too late to have any chance of escaping her fateˇ­

    ˇ®Our fate.ˇŻ She thought miserably. The tears were there but didnˇŻt dare risk the journey down the sides of her face.

    And so, aside from, and despite, the newly dubbed ˇ®Red-HairedˇŻ Shanks and his small crew of two by her side, there was little she could do at this point that wouldnˇŻt lead to eventual death.

    Unfortunately, the other islanders were nothing to her. Sure, sheˇŻd grown up here, but Baterilla was a busy enough island that eventually the people she did know as a child became strangers she would hardly recognize.

    Which meant the necessities were even harder to come by than they could have been. With so many factors working against her, she was surprised the stress of it all hadnˇŻt yet forced her to give birth.

    And as if that wasnˇŻt enough, the encounter sheˇŻd had with the red-nosed boy several months earlier played back in her mind more often than she felt was fair.

    Rarely did she regret anything as much as she did the conversation with Buggy. More specifically, the way she refused to even consider running away with him to safety. Rouge realized now that it was foolish to think that she could take on the full might of the Marines by herself.

    Now in her right mind, she could understand perfectly the frustration and the disappointment Buggy had felt towards her that day. SheˇŻd felt the same way each time she passed by the bathroom mirror and caught a glimpse of her reflection.

    Rouge closed the book and stared blankly out the window, watching as the birds in the trees glided around from branch to branch. She watched in particular interest, two birds fighting, she assumed they were fighting, over the same nest building material.

    Not even the usually comforting thought that she was going to be a mother had given her any peace of mind as of late.

    The simple truth was, Buggy had given her a way out and she outright refused to take it; going so far as to angrily try and hurt him and thus taking the first real step towards sealing her own fate.

    Spending too long running from the truth and not enough time preparing herself to face it, Rouge would soon come learn that there was a price to be paid for her negligence.

    A price that, to her, would be far worse than the miserable death she imagined at the hands of the Marines.

 Made a Terrible Mistake! My Bad....Please Dont Hate Me....Its tired and Im very late.....

    OH NOOO!! Guys! I posted the same chapter twice! I....suck for doing that to y''all. Very sorry. What had happened was that I accidentally hit the ''Back'' button one too many times and the website mistook that for me trying to post that same chapter again. (How that even works I have no idea...)

    Thank you to the people who let me know. You two are awesome for giving me a heads up!

    Real quick, I need to make this thing about 500 characters long so here''s a list of things you should expect to see in the upcoming chapters. A teaser, of sorts.

    (When I say upcoming I mean at some undecided point later in the story because sometimes plot progression ideas and character development arcs don''t always work out and I need to adjust depending on whatever bs is sent my way. WHich means I''d only be lying to you if I made promises right now. So whatever happens, happens. And whatever doesn''t happen....please don''t abandon the story if it doesn''t....I don''t think I could handle that kind of rejection.... BUT! I would be interested in hearing your opinions of my current ideas and such. And yesss! Hehehehehehe~ I''m once again up to my mildly nefarious comment pandering ways! Nyehh!!)This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    PLANNED plot stuff (No promises  </img>)

    - Another devil fruit user in the crew???

    - Possible sexy times for the good captain Buggy??? (With whom, i wonder??)

    - partial mutilation for a certain canon someone who may or may not be on the crew??? (I dare you to try and guess that one...)

    - a crazy confrontation with the worst evil there is....inaction.... and the consequences that follow(how''s that?? Are you thinkin of all the awesome possibilities?? I am...and it''s great!!)

    A~nd that''s it for now

    (Sorry for the wackiness in the post. I wasn''t lying when I said I was tired. [also maybe a little tipsy.] It''s late and I''ve been up and out for longer than I can remember. Mosttly because I''m kinda delirius.)

    Well, I think it''s time for bed now.

    Goodnight, and sorry once again for the screw up. :3

 Chapter 25

    As Buggy waited for the good doctor to finish removing the final pieces of wood from his eyes, he sighed heavily. Holding them both at gunpoint was not the first step heˇŻd wanted to take in finishing his business in Flevance.

    He only planned on resorting to violence if absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, his plans didnˇŻt take into consideration that the people of Flevance might not have the same sense of urgency as he did.

    Thus, when met with the first sign of delay he chose the first option he could think of to get things moving along. It bothered him to have to waste all this time getting his eyes and LilithˇŻs leg fixed.

    Personally, he blamed the people of Flevance. ˇ®What idiot decided that blinding everyone within ten miles of the fucking place was a good idea!?ˇŻ Though he did prefer being blind to having a heatstroke.

    As hot as it was in Flevance, it would be more so had the townˇŻs infrastructure been designed with a darker palette in mind. Since everyone knows, darker colors absorb more heat than lighter colors do.

    Putting aside the townˇŻs bothersome efficiency, Buggy focused on the matter at hand. ˇ°Soˇ­Dr. Trafalgar, was it?ˇ± The man nodded. ˇ°IˇŻm looking for someone. A doctor I want to hire. Do you think you can help me out?ˇ±

    ˇ°Considering that you have a literal gun to my head, I think I donˇŻt have a choice. WhoˇŻre you looking for? What do they look like? What field of medicine are they in?ˇ± Is it anybody I know?

    ˇ°IˇŻm just looking for a doctor who can deliver a baby.ˇ± Jal let out a small breath of relief. No one in his family and none of his close friends were Obstetricians. But still, he felt sorry for the poor bastards he was about to name.

    It was nothing personal. Simply survival.

    ˇ°Oh, and I donˇŻt want just any doctor. I need them to be the best in their field.ˇ± Jal raised an eyebrow. ˇ®Thatˇ­certainly narrows down the list.ˇŻ He eyed Buggy for a moment, trying to get a measure of the man behind the gun.

    He didnˇŻt seem particularly violent. Ignoring the gun still in his hand and the fact that heˇŻd threatened both him and his receptionist, of course.

    Moving his gaze over to the hulking Fishman that sat in the corner of the room, who was looking relieved to have finally shed his outer layers, Jal decided that attempting to escape probably wasnˇŻt the best idea.

    His eyes then looked towards the floor where Rosie was, still unconscious and beginning to drool. Great. ˇ®At least one of us is having a nice time.ˇŻ He revisited the urge to sigh. Who knew how unstable Buggy could possibly be.

    And with JalˇŻs shitty luck, a sigh would be the thing that would set him off.

    ˇ°Wellˇ­thereˇŻs no way to tell whoˇŻs the ˇ®bestˇŻ in their field since the more experienced doctors I know have around the same level of skill.ˇ± As soon as the words left his mouth, the idea that maybe it would have been better if heˇŻd given Buggy actual names crossed his mind.

    Judging from the patient look on BuggyˇŻs face, that was a definite ˇ®yesˇŻ.

    With that he hastily followed up with, ˇ°But, there are two who I personally think outdo the others. Unfortunately, only one of them is on the island right now. And IˇŻm almost certain heˇŻs not going to want to help you becauseˇ­heˇŻs an ex-marineˇ­andˇ­ˇ±

    Jal watched helplessly as the manˇŻs expression seemed to grow darker with every word spoken. ˇ°ˇ­youˇŻre aˇ­pirateˇ­and allˇ­andˇ­marines usually hateˇ­piratesˇ­more thanˇ­anythingˇ­ˇ±

    ˇ®Oh, dammit! Why do I always have to say the unnecessary things!? Why canˇŻt I just make things easier on myself just this once. Ohh~ IˇŻm going to end up getting myself killed because I couldnˇŻt just say the necessary parts. F~uck my lifeˇ­ˇŻ

    What Jal didnˇŻt know was that Buggy cared less about how he said it than he did about what heˇŻd said.

    A doctor who both hates pirates and was once in the Marines wasnˇŻt going to just help them out of the kindness of his heart. Especially if the doctor in question knew they were going to play a key role in saving both the lover and the child of the Pirate King of all people.

    But he couldnˇŻt afford to take anyone less skilled than the very best Flevance had to offer; and he could only take that one person in an effort to keep loose lips from quite literally sinking his ship because information traveled faster than one usually expected.

    Buggy wouldnˇŻt risk any more than one person, especially with who this person is, coming to Baterilla with them. Period.

    Unfortunately, it looked as though it would have to be this Dr. Tolk person. And worse, he was more than likely going to go running to his friends the moment they let him go. Which begged the question,

    What was Buggy going to do with him when that time came? The answer: Kill the doctor, of course. But that in and of itself creates a multitude of internal moral conflicts heˇŻd rather not deal with at the moment.

    ˇ®Only one fucked up situation at a time, thank you very much.ˇŻ

    ˇ°Such fucking bullshitˇ­ˇ± It angered him that the one time he truly needed things to go smoothly, the Universe decided to give him the runaround.

    Rouge didnˇŻt have time for Buggy to go find another doctor. There was no time to find someone else. They needed to leave as soon as possible. No, they needed to have already left the island. Much of their time having been wasted walking to Flevance and getting medical treatment.

    Which means that Buggy was now going to do something that he was sure heˇŻd come to regret.

    Solomon raised an eyebrow at the less than enthusiastic response to JalˇŻs candidate list that consisted of what was basically the only person currently in Flevance who could help them. Jal, meanwhile, tried to soothe the irate Buggy with some good news.

    Good news that would hopefully calm down the increasingly agitated man still very much pointing a gun at him.

    ˇ°In any case, I think IˇŻve managed to get all the bits of wood and dirt out of yourˇ­eyesˇ­and the sockets as well. And IˇŻve done my best to clean the area to prevent infection.ˇ± Buggy may have been immune to cuts, but he could still get seriously sick on occasion.

    Bacterial infections included, this was more than likely one of those possible occasions.

    It was sickening to Jal when Buggy explained to him how his Chop-Chop Fruit powers worked and then proceeded to take out both of his eyes with no issue whatsoever. Not to mention how shocked heˇŻd been when the man took off his hood for the first time.

    Not even Solomon managed to escape the disturbing sight of Buggy with no eyes in his head.

    All Jal had to do was to cut them into small pieces, he made sure to numb the hell out of them just in case, and then wash them out with saline. It was a relatively simple task, and he was finished before too long.

    ˇ°Good.ˇ± Silently, Buggy put his eyes back together and checked with his Observational to see if his eyes were clean of any foreign substances. They were. Not a hint of wood or dirt remained. And he could see again! ˇ°Great job doctor.ˇ±

    He jumped up from his spot next to Lilith soon the table. She was resting much more comfortably now that her leg had been set by an actual doctor. He even wrapped it in a professional looking splint to keep it from moving around too much.

    Though he had the feeling that her peaceful sleep had more to do with whatever medicine Jal had given her. It was a rather nasty break, after all.

    Buggy placed a hand on JalˇŻs shoulder and flashed a friendly smile. ˇ°Soˇ­how about you take us to Dr. Tolk. You wouldnˇŻt mind helping out a couple of friends, would you?ˇ±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    As Jal awkwardly nodded his head, Solomon stood up and moved to grab Lilith. ˇ°Okay then! Lead the way. ThereˇŻs no time to lose.ˇ± With that, Buggy put away the gun and gestured to the door.

    Seeing that the doctor hadnˇŻt moved, he sighed. ˇ°Well, come on. LetˇŻs go.ˇ± But Jal merely furrowed his brows.

    ˇ°Are you going to kill us?ˇ± Jal needed to know. He didnˇŻt want to die not knowing that he was going to die. ˇ°If I bring you to Dr. Tolk, are you going to kill us? Are you going to kill him?ˇ± Momentarily ignoring the fact that he was still very much not in a position to demand answers, Jal pressed for an answer.

    ˇ°Whether or not you come out of this alive, Dr. Trafalgar, is entirely up to you. Either you do as IˇŻve asked and take us to Dr. Tolk, or you donˇŻt and face the consequences. ItˇŻs as simple as that.ˇ± Buggy then left without another word.

    ˇ®So that meansˇ­I really donˇŻt have any other choice.ˇŻ Jal made to follow Buggy, only to find a large gray hand grab a hold of his shoulder and holding him in place. ˇ°You better bring her with us, doc.ˇ± He gestured at the girl. ˇ°We donˇŻt need her running around town telling everyone about the two men who held her at gunpoint.ˇ±

    Looking down at Rosie, Jal sighed. Looks like he was going to be the one to carry her. ˇ°Alright, Rosie. LetˇŻs hope you weigh as little as it looks like you do.ˇŻ Wrapping an arm around her side and throwing one of her around his neck, he picked her up in a princess carry.

    ˇ°WonˇŻt it look suspicious if we walk out in broad daylight with an unconscious woman in my arms? Besides, it doesnˇŻt take much to put two and two together that you and your friend arenˇŻt exactly locals.ˇ±

    The Fishman scoffed. ˇ°YouˇŻre acting as though weˇŻll be taking a nice walk through the park. You move fast and you donˇŻt stop for anyone or anything. All you need to worry about is showing us the way.ˇ±

    Walking out of the room, Solomon made sure to keep Jal within his line of sight. He didnˇŻt trust that the doctor wouldnˇŻt try and get someone on the street to help him.

    Humans were tricky like that, in his opinion.

    -

    Dr. Arnon Tolk started his day like he did any other. Hungover.

    From the moment heˇŻd been forced into an early retirement, Arnon had done almost nothing but sit around the house and drink. And when he wasnˇŻt drinking, he was treating patients and making money to buy more alcohol. It solved none of his problems but did make them go away if only for a little while.

    Drinking helped him to forget why he was there in the first place. Though, it always felt like there wasnˇŻt enough alcohol in the world to move past it. Only enough to dull the pain.

    A betrayal by oneˇŻs student, a prot¨¦g¨¦ who had been like the son heˇŻd never had, was not something that was easily forgotten. Much to his dismay.

    Usually, he woke up to the muffled sound of birds chirping, a headache the size of an island, and a horrible taste in his mouth. But this time, there was no crippling headache. The chirping birds seemed to be easier to hear. And the horrible taste in his mouth was replaced by something that tasted likeˇ­mint?

    He opened his eyes ever so gently only to clench them shut as the sunlight poured in from an open window, a reflex from all those times heˇŻd made that mistake after a night of drinking. ˇ®Ah!! Sonuvabitch! That-ˇŻ Seeking additional protection from the SunˇŻs light, he also pulled his blanket over his head and buried his face into his pillow.

    ˇ®ˇ­hurts?ˇŻ The light didnˇŻt actually hurt as much as he instinctually anticipated it to. It was much more like a very mild and inconvenient kind of pressure rather than the sharp pain heˇŻd spend the next five minutes agonizing over.

    Nonetheless, he would carry on like nothing was different. Or rather, he would have liked to.

    It took less than a second to realize that there was a much cooler side of the pillow his face could be on at that moment before he quickly flipped it. ˇ°Ahh. Much better.ˇ± He mumbled contently. Nothing beat the feeling of oneˇŻs face against a cool, soft pillow.

    Putting pillow preferences aside, however, Arnon couldˇŻve sworn that the windows that hadnˇŻt been so much as looked at in well over a month, maybe even longer since he hated how high the temperatures in Flevance got around this time of year, were closed when he passed out the night before.

    He sighed quietly to himself. He wasnˇŻt as hungover as he often was when he woke up. Thus, his brain was free to make some semi-coherent observations.

    Namely, if he didnˇŻt open his window and was also suddenly missing the dreaded aftermath of an entire day dedicated to drinking then that meantˇ­absolutely nothing to him. He was still very much confused and equally unwilling to face whoever it was that was waiting for him once he left the comfortable safety of his bed.

    But one thing was certain. He wasnˇŻt alone. The sound of heavy footsteps on the creaky wood above his bed proved that. And It didnˇŻt matter how unwilling he was, as he would have to face them sooner or later. HeˇŻd rather it be ˇ®neverˇŻ but settled for ˇ®soonerˇŻ.

    Slowly, he dug his hand into a slit in his mattress. After some searching he managed to grab the pistol he kept hidden. With luck, he wouldnˇŻt need it for anything more than a reason for whoever it was, given that they werenˇŻt who he prayed they werenˇŻt, to back off.

    As his finger lay comfortably on the trigger and his thumb cocked it right as a foot landed on a particularly squeaky floorboard, the footsteps stopped dead in their tracks.

    It was unnerving to be sure, but also surprising since the sound of the ˇ®clickˇŻ should have been stifled by the mattress, the distance between the two floors, the door that he assumed was closed, and the fact that heˇŻd done it right as one of those heavy steps landed.

    He didnˇŻt hear anything from up above for several minutes after that. Not a footstep or a floorboard or anything other than the sound of his now audibly beating heart.

    Eventually, he tired of waiting and listening for something to happen. If they would not come to him then he would go to them. HeˇŻd also spent that time allowing his eyes to readjust to the light. It still bothered him, but not as much as it did when he first opened them.

    In one fluid movement, Arnon threw off the blanket and the sheet, pushed himself out of bed and began to make his way towards the stairs.

    No sooner had he placed his foot on the first step did a voice speak out to him from behind. ˇ°Good afternoon, Dr. Tolk. I trust you slept well.ˇ± He allowed the doctor to press the barrel of his gun against the center of his forehead.

    Buggy had to consciously, and with sizable effort, stop himself from disarming and physically restraining the man.

    Arnon eyed the stranger, taking note of his unique facial features first and foremost. ˇ®Other than the large nose, which looks like a birth defect of some kind, and the blue hair, he looks sort ofˇ­plain.ˇŻ

    ˇ®If he had a regular sized nose that wasnˇŻt red, and his hair was a normal color, maybe black or brown, I probably wouldnˇŻt be able to pick him out of a large enough crowdˇ­Maybe if he wore what he was wearing right now?ˇŻ

    But before he could continue that train of thought, he forced his attention back to the man standing before him. ˇ®He looks a little too calm for someone with a gun against his head.ˇŻ

    ˇ°Who are you? Why have you broken into my home? IˇŻll tell you right now, I donˇŻt own anything thatˇŻs worth more than a couple of Berries. And if thatˇŻs not enough to get rid of youˇ­maybe a bullet to the brain will.ˇ±

    Buggy held up his hands placatingly.

    ˇ°My name is Buggy. IˇŻm looking for a doctor. Aˇ­baby deliveringˇ­doctor.ˇ±

    Arnon furrowed his brows. ˇ°You mean an obstetrician?ˇ± Buggy pointedly ignored the sudden urge to go and throw himself off a cliff out of embarrassment and instead settled for gritting his teeth and simply nodding his head.

    ˇ°Yes. Which is why IˇŻve come here to your lovely tr-ˇ± He almost said trash heap. He almost called the manˇŻs house a fucking trash heap. Not technically a lie, considering itˇŻs nothing short of the absolute truth, but not something youˇŻd say to your future employee.

    Especially one who was going to play a key part in keeping both Rouge and her baby safe.

    But Buggy couldnˇŻt help it. Who wouldnˇŻt be repulsed by how this man lived? Trash. Everywhere! The smell alone was more than enough to almost send him back to the ship if only to never smell anything so foul ever again.

    HeˇŻd made Jal place Rosie down under a tree about half a mile away from the house in question. Solomon was there with Lilith to keep an eye on her.

    He may not have trusted Rosie not to go running and telling everyone who would listen about what had happened to her and Jal, but heˇŻd be damned if heˇŻd let anyone nonessential to his initial dealings with Dr. Tolk stay anywhere near the place.

    He could only imagine the number of filthy germs and sicknesses lie in wait within the confines of ArnonˇŻs ˇ°ˇ­homeˇ­ˇ±

    The doctor raised an eyebrow. Arnon wasnˇŻt sure what heˇŻd expected the man to say, but it certainly wasnˇŻt that. ˇ®A job? He broke into my house to offer me a job?ˇŻ

    After a few moments of silence, Arnon spoke. ˇ°Say I donˇŻt believe you. What if I say no to your job offer? What if I were to just shoot you dead right now for breaking into my home and scaring me half to death?ˇ±

    Buggy smiled. ˇ°Dr. Tolk, you misunderstand me. I have come here looking for an obstetrician. Not to ask if one will accompany me but to simply bring him back with me. Whether or not you wish to come willingly is of no importance to me.ˇ±

    The gun was suddenly ripped away from ArnonˇŻs hand by an unknown force. ˇ®Shit!ˇŻ Buggy carried on as if nothing happened. ˇ°Soˇ­letˇŻs get you showered, dressed, and ready to go. We leave as soon as the Sun goes down.ˇ±

    This was turning out to be an especially miserable day.

    Had Arnon been a younger man, he mightˇŻve tried to find a way to get away from the large nosed man. But he wasnˇŻt a younger man anymore. He was an older man now with back problems, knee pain, and the tendency to fall asleep far more easily than he was comfortable with.

    So, rather than try and immediately get out of it, he decided it was better for him to play along. Do his part until he finished whatever he was needed for and then try and escape with a better understanding of the situation.

    Arnon may have only been a doctor when he was in the marines, but they trained him no differently than any other soldier.

    As he walked past Buggy to get to the bathroom, his eyes widened. He hadnˇŻt noticed it before, but the man smelledˇ­familiar. Not in the way an animal recognizes the scent of another animal, but in the way where the combination of gunpower and brine reminded him of the marines he used to treat and the pirates they used to fight.

    Closing the bathroom door, he wondered if the man who was now making his own way back up the stairs was someone in the marines looking to get their hands on him or just a pirate who was in need of a doctor.

    And if he was honest with himself, he hoped to God that it was the latter.

 Chapter 26

    The Residence Of Arnon Tolk

    Dr. Tolk took his time showering. If this was possibly the last time he was going to be in his hometown, then he wanted to be able to enjoy his freedom for whatever remaining time he had. Whether or not the men upstairs were pirates or Marines didn''t matter anymore.

    He was tired. Tired of the shitshow that his life was turning into. So, he decided to just take what was to come in stride.

    The now carefree man cleaned himself up as best he could, making sure to scrub every inch of his body to rid himself of the stink of alcohol. After the shower, he took a blade and began to shave himself. The five o''clock shadow he never seemed to be able to keep away for more than a few days was doing him no favors.

    His shoulder length silver hair, whether it was from old age or naturally that color he''d never tell, stayed mostly the same. He did run a comb through it to work out the knots, though. Even at his age where most men lose the hair on their head and grow it out on their backs or in their ears, he kept most of his hair where it always was.

    A blessing most of his colleagues had always been jealous of. ''Jealousy has always been the precursor to hate. I should know, having experienced suffering at the hands of both.''

    He splashed water on his face, vigorously wiping away both the shaving cream and loose hairs. ''No! No more mopey bullshit! It''s time to spend my days <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">not feeling sorry for myself.'' Picking up the towel off the rack to his left, he dried his face and walked out of the bathroom.

    He hadn''t noticed it before, but the man from before had gone and tidied up his room. The windows were wiped down, the trash that was on the floor and furniture was nowhere to be seen, there was a full mug of steaming coffee on his nightstand, and even the very air smelled cleaner than it was before.

    That last one was because the open windows, courtesy of a now much less disturbed Buggy, had let all the stale air out and let the fresh air in. A welcome change of pace to complement the doctor''s decision to change his attitude.

    Though one thing was still bothering him. Something that he hadn''t really processed until just now. ''Did he <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">seriously brush my teeth while I was asleep!?'' He thought in disbelief. ''Just who the hell is this guy?''

    <hr style="color: #a9a9a9; cursor: default; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; border-style: none" noshade="noshade" size="1">

    It hadn''t taken Buggy all that long to clean up the doctor''s house once he decided that leaving Solomon outside was not in the Fishman''s best interest. Despite being covered by the shade of the tree, Solomon was still much more susceptible to the heat given his aquatic nature.

    But he also wouldn''t have them recovering from the heat in some disgusting pigsty.

    So, he and Dr. Trafalgar worked to clean what spaces and areas the four of them needed. Once that was done they spread themselves out in the living room. Though Rosie had woken up from her ''nap'' at some point and just spent the better part of half an hour nervously glancing at the three pirates.

    Mostly Buggy and Solomon given that intimidating presence both men had; and the fact that Buggy had "threatened" her life not too long ago.

    At some point after they finished cleaning up, Dr. Trafalgar, Rosie, Solomon, and Lilith all went into another room. And while they didn''t say it directly to him, he had an idea of what was going on. The look he and Solomon also shared before they left had given him reassurance that nothing bad was going to happen while they were gone, so that set his mind at ease.

    It turned out that most of the smell came from garbage that had food rotting inside and the stale air that was begging to be let outside; though at the cost of some outside heat also getting in.

    He didn''t touch the bathrooms and he didn''t mess with the kitchen; he hated doing dishes and there wasn''t enough money in the world that would get him to clean anyone else''s bathroom. The coffee he gave to Dr. Tolk was actually stolen from another house he passed on the way there.

    After cleaning and then waking the man up, Buggy waited patiently for the Dr. Tolk to finish washing himself and to start packing what he needed for their journey. He appreciated that the man didn''t seem too uncooperative about being dragged along with them.

    He half expected him to try and start a fight with him. A pleasant surprise to not have an issue at this point. Time was quickly running out and he was not going to waste a second of it.

    And if he did start complaining, the plan of treating Dr. Tolk with a modicum of respect would quickly go out the window. He already had so much to deal with that one more ounce of stress and he might quite literally explode; Rouge and the baby were only the tip of the iceberg.

    Lilith and her nightmares, successfully recruiting Solomon, and hiding out from both the Marines <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">and the World Government were also on the list of shit Buggy had on his plate. None of which could be ignored because the world didn''t stop when one of his problems became more relevant than the others.

    He laid down on the comfortable, and clean, sofa in the doctor''s living room, also clean now that he was through with it, putting his feet up and watching as the wind gently moved the drapes towards and away from the open window.

    It was about time he found something peaceful to focus on.

    Added to this was the almost hypnotic sound of the pipes in the house delivering water to Dr. Tolk''s shower.

    Before he knew it, Buggy was fast asleep. Truth be told, he hadn''t been sleeping well since he''d gotten that call from Shanks. He never slept well when he felt overwhelmed. And the previous night was certainly no exception what with Lilith''s nightmare about Flevance.

    But now things were settling down and he felt relaxed enough to catch some shuteye before they needed to leave. He finally got his hands on one of the doctors Rouge and the baby would need. And soon enough, they''d be in the Grand Line heading for the other one.

    So far so good. If Shanks could manage to keep the Marines from discovering that Rouge was on the island, then it''d be a manageable situation. And Buggy could take it from there. He''d already created half a dozen possible ways to distract the marines and get them the hell off that island.

    In the last few moments of coherent thought, though, he could have sworn he''d heard Devlin''s voice. It sounded far away and panicked but he shrugged it off. Being as tired as he was could make you see things. It wasn''t too far out there to think it could make you hear things as well.

    Besides, Devlin was supposed to be watching their ship. An easy task the Roger Pirates had trusted him with dozens of times even <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">before he got his devil fruit powers. For Devlin, it would be an easy task to keep people away.

    Also, how could she have <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">possibly been able to yell loud enough for him to hear her from all the way across the island? She wasn''t that loud, and his hearing wasn''t that amazing.

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    Solomon watched on as Dr. Trafalgar and Rosie gave Lilith a check-up. He figured he might as well take advantage of having an actual doctor and an accompanying nurse, turns out she wasn''t just a receptionist, with them while he could.

    Despite his distaste for Humans in general, having experienced the worst of them and what they had to offer firsthand, he actually hated the three he was with slightly less than he expected to. Particularly Lilith, as she had suffered the endless torments alongside him for the better part of a year.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He supposed this is what was bound to happen what with everything Buggy and the girls had done for him.

    Dr. Trafalgar turning towards him brought him out of his thoughts. The man cleaned his glasses as he spoke, sounding much more confident now that he''d had a chance to get spend enough time around them.

    "She should be fine once that arm heals. Although, I recommend that she get plenty of rest and eat larger portions at mealtime. She''s not supposed to be as thin as she is." Solomon nodded, ignoring the suspicious look the doctor gave him for only a second before seemingly shrugging it off.

    "Now, what say we take care of you? I may not be an expert on Fishman biology, but it shouldn''t be too different from a Human''s for me to be able to give you a general examination."

    Solomon hesitated, not feeling as comfortable as he was with he idea as he was a few moments ago. Dr. Trafalgar noticed the way he went rigid and gave him an out. "Or we could do it later, before you leave?"

    But he shook his head. "Noˇ­let''s get it over with. There''s no real reason in putting this off." After that, the doctor and nurse duo were very careful in examining the large Fishman, explaining everything they were doing before they did it.

    The unconscious tremors they felt as they worked on him told the same story that the almost impressive, and certainly appalling, amount of healed and still healing scars told.

    "As far as we can tell, you should do the same as that young woman over there. Plenty of rest and lots of nutritious foods at mealtime." The doctor pulled out a pencil and a small notebook, scribbling something down before ripping it out.

    "Here, this is a list of medicines you should apply to those scars to make them heal faster. The longer they take to heal, the more chance there is of something nasty getting inside them and causing an infection. Be sure to take them all." He gestured to Lilith. "The names I''ve left marks next to are the ones she should be given. And <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">only those."

    Solomon nodded, taking the piece of paper and then moving to sit near Lilith. The whole experience had left him needing to think about things for a little while. And being near Lilith, near someone familiar, helped him to do so.

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    <strong style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">Sabaody Archipelago Marine Base, Private Docks, Dock #11

    "Vice-Admiral Garp, sir!" The man in question looked up from the plate of food in front of him, swallowing an almost impossibly large amount of food in one go. He noted that the marine, ''<em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">chore boy'' he corrected himself once seeing the lack of a uniform, standing in front of him was one of the new "recruits" assigned to his ship a few months back.

    While they were <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">technically marines, as far as the paperwork went, they weren''t assigned an actual rank or any other responsibilities aside from the menial tasks they carried out onboard ships and naval outposts.

    It wasn''t all that surprising as to why they would send him, a chore boy, to deliver the message, though.

    The men and women under his command knew better than to interrupt him when he''s enjoying a meal, that was when he was the most out of control, so whatever the young man had to say was important enough that it couldn''t wait for him to finish and likely to earn him an enthusiastic response.

    And no one bothered to tell him what Garp was like when he was eating. Something that''s almost become a rite of passage on Garp''s ship for all incoming "recruits". One that its victims feel all too justified in carrying out themselves.

    "An urgent message from HQ just came in, sir!" The chore boy stood at attention, keeping direct eye contact with Garp.

    ''A bold move for a brat without so much as a rank to look at a superior officer, a Vice-Admiral at that, so disrespectfully.'' Garp mused to himself. ''Tsuru or Sengoku might''ve just given the boy a heavier work load to teach him a lesson. But if that look in his eye, that intense spark of willpower and determination, is anything to go by, he might have the potential to be a strong marine someday.''

    The possibilities running through Garp''s mind of what he could do with such potential manifested themselves through an eager, yet maniacal, grin. ''Or maybe not.'' The grin left his face just as quickly as it came.

    ''He could just be another brat who sees himself as something more than he actually is. Too many of those joining our ranks these days.''

    The chore boy, seemingly forgotten by Garp who''d begun shoveling food down but in a more contemplative manner, cleared his throat. When that didn''t work, he addressed the Vice-Admiral directly.

    "Sir? The message from HQ, would you-" Garp shook his head, breaking out of his thoughts. "Yeah, give it to me."

    The chore boy cleared his throat, glad that the message was a relatively simple one to remember. "Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp is to reroute his convoy of ships to the island of Baterilla in the South Blue to aid in the efforts to search for and capture any and all associates of the deceased pirate known as Gold Roger."

    A cold silence fills the room.

    Garp had managed to stall the marines for as long as he could without seeming suspicious, but that could only o so far. Still, by now Rouge and the baby should have safely left the island and sailed as far away as humanly possible.

    It''d all be okay, wouldn''t it? Everything would work itself out without him being too involved, right? After all, he''d helped just like he promised Roger he would. The only other thing he could do was give shelter to them if he somehow found them on the island.

    But things wouldn''t come down to that. Only an insanely foolish woman would put her and her baby''s life at risk. Yeah, things were going to be easy from here on out.

    Mentally shutting down his worries with speculative reasoning, Garp plastered a smile on his face. "Tell Bogard to set a new course. Looks like we''re heading to the South Blue."

    The chore boy nodded and turned to leave. As he started to walk a loaf of bread collided with his head. "I''m not done with you yet!" Garp stuck a pinky in his nose, absentmindedly searching for something to pick. "I want you to gather the men still in town. After that, shadow the navigator until you learn something useful. You got that?"

    He received a nod in affirmation.

    They stood silently, though only the chore boy was standing, for a few seconds before Garp furrowed his brows.

    "Move it, marine! There''s no time for you to stand around! We''ve got criminals to catch!" Jumping slightly at the annoyed shout, the chore boy hurried out the door and up to where the Vice-Admiral''s second in command was.

    But smiling cheerfully at the fact that Garp had called him ''marine'' instead of ''chore boy'' like the others did. "I bet I''ll look great in the uniform." He whispered conspiratorially to himself.

    Yes, Kuzan had a feeling he''d be out of his civilian clothes and into an actual officer''s uniform in no time at all. With a little hard work and determination on his end, anything was possible. He might even be a Vice-Admiral himself one day.

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    <strong style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">The Royal Blue, Unknown Location

    "Buggyˇ­helpˇ­help meˇ­" She could barely speak above a whisper, the unforgiving chains relentlessly draining her of any and all strength she''d had left.

    Devlin watched out of the corner of her eye as the men in suits, who had shackled her arms and legs with weird looking cuffs, made themselves quietly at home on a ship that <em style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px">wasn''t theirs. She tried to call the winds to her countless times, but nothing happened. Not even the smallest breeze.

    It was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Every time she blinked the world around her grew much less focused. Devlin didn''t understand. Why was she so powerless all of a sudden when she could usually summon gale force winds at a moment''s notice? What the hell did these people plan to do with her?

    Her last thoughts as she faded away into the darkness were those of immense regret. ''He trusted me with our shipˇ­and I failed himˇ­Iˇ­failed himˇ­Iˇ­failedˇ­''

 Chapter 27

    The Home of Arnon Tolk, Flevance

    Opening his eyes, it took a moment for Buggy to process where he was. Neither his nor any of the other rooms on the ship had curtains long enough to almost touch the floor, mostly because the windows were really just round portholes that werenˇŻt much bigger than the average human head, so he probably wasnˇŻt on the ship. And he couldnˇŻt smell any of the hard liquors or stale drunken air he had long since become familiar with during his bar hopping escapades with the Roger pirates, so that ruled out any and all bars.

    Which begged the question: Where in the hell was he? And why was it so oppressively warm?

    He rarely drank enough to blackout, and he doubted that someone was able to drug him while he was drinking. It wouldnˇŻt be possible since he always kept a watchful eye on his, and more recently his crewˇŻs, drinks from the moment the mugs were pulled from the shelves. Unlike many of his shipmates on the Oro Jackson had been, he was not as trusting of strangers. Least of all of skeevy bar tenders who could be paid off so incredibly easily. Certainly not enough to let them handle his food and his drinks without careful supervision.

    Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Buggy turned onto his side and found himself staring unblinkingly at the drapes. The white drapesˇ­that were whiteˇ­like most of the town they were inˇ­the town that theyˇ­came toˇ­forˇ­

    It took a minute to connect all the dots with his sleep-addled mind, but he gets there eventually.

    A sudden urge to punch something came about as the events of the day flooded back to him. ˇ°Why is everything in this shitty town just a different shade of the same shitty color!? How can these people live in such a terrible place!?ˇ± He grumbled. He was never coming back to Flevance again! As of that moment, it was number four on the ˇ®Never Going BackˇŻ list of places heˇŻd been creating form the moment he set sail with Roger all those years ago.

    Flevance officially sucked.

    Now that heˇŻd been sufficiently riled up, and with a decent mount of rest under his belt, it was time to get a move on. Rouge, her baby, and Shanks were waiting for him.

    He didnˇŻt bother moving from the couch to gather everyone. His hands detached themselves from his wrist and flew about the house, tapping the shoulders of his crewmates, as well as their captive doctor and nurse duo, and guiding them back to him. Having a devil fruit like his was just perfect for those rare moments when his need to get something done and his desire to just laze about in place happened to be neck and neck with each other.

    When they finally gathered before him Buggy found himself intrigued at the way that the doctor was carrying himself. Unlike the hungover mess who had tried to threaten him with a gun just a few short hours ago, this Arnon Tolk looked every bit the part of a respectable obstetrician who was the top of his field. He half-expected the man to show up no different from when heˇŻd left him.

    He also half-expected to have to force another shower on him. Which would have been terrible for all parties involved. Arnon for being manhandled back onto the path to cleanliness and Buggy for touching a man who had been living in his own filth for who the hell knows how long.

    ˇ®This is good. A problem that solves itself is my favorite kind of problem. I was worried that IˇŻd need to waste precious time trying to get him to not be useless when the time comes.ˇŻ There was too much pressure on him to get to Shanks and Rouge in time for him to allow even a moment a unnecessary distraction.

    The last thing he needed was a fussy doctor to babysit.

    Buggy was sitting up, by this point, not wanting to leave the admittedly comfortable couch but not needing to be seen as anything less than captain-like as he spoke.

    ˇ°IˇŻll make this quick since we need to leave within the next few minutes.ˇ± He points to the Jal and Rosie. ˇ°You two are going to tell no-one that weˇŻve been here.ˇ± They share a hesitant and uncertain glance. But Buggy was having none of that. With a glare, ˇ°I mean it! You say anything to anyoneˇ­ˇ± He paused, feeling the threat die in his throat. ˇ°in all honesty youˇŻd partly responsible for the death of a baby and its mother.ˇ±

    That got a reaction. Specifically, very appalled looks directed at him. To which he rolled his eyes. ˇ°No, not because of anything IˇŻd do. The whole reason I came here was to save them. If you go and tell someone and it somehow gets back to the group working to kill the people weˇŻre trying to saveˇ­well, you know what would happen. Could you really report us knowing the consequences?ˇ±

    Jal shook his head. He was a doctor. He took an oath to do no harm. And knowing what he knew, he had no choice at this point. Jal could tell that Rosie, on the other hand, needed to be convinced some more.

    SheˇŻd been kidnapped, scared to the point of passing out, and finally threatened into silence. Wanting the people responsible to get in trouble for the trauma sheˇŻd gone through was only natural. But with lives at stake, it just couldnˇŻt happen. Jal wouldnˇŻt let it.

    He took her by the hand, shared a meaningful look with her, and turned to Buggy. ˇ°If it means we save two lives in the process, we wonˇŻt tell anyone. Will we?ˇ± He spared her a glance. One she shrugged her shoulders and sighed lightly at, but nodded all the same.

    ˇ°I-it wasnˇŻt like we were h-hurt or anything, right?ˇ± Though it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. But if anyone noticed, and they did, no one said anything about it otherwise.

    Buggy nodded, glad that the truth had been as effective as any threat he wouldˇŻve given. ˇ°Good. Now as for you, doctor.ˇ± He turned to Arnon. ˇ°WeˇŻll be heading off for the Grand Line now, so if thereˇŻs anything you need to do before we leave, IˇŻd get it done now.ˇ±

    The doctor, surprisingly, shook his head. ˇ°IˇŻm all packed. If youˇŻre ready to leave, we can get moving. Justˇ­answer a question for me?ˇ± BuggyˇŻs eyebrows raised curiously, but he was listening. No fuss about leaving Flevance and he was sounding eager? The doctor could ask a hundred questions for all he cared.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ˇ°Should we run into any marines, would have an issue with me hiding below the deck of your ship while you fend them off? IˇŻm not much of a fighter, and the last thing that you want is anyone knowing IˇŻm with you.ˇ±

    ˇ®Well, thatˇŻs an interesting consideration.ˇŻ Buggy thought. ˇ°And why would that be? You have a bounty? Some sort of black market doctor theyˇŻd rather keep alive and useful?ˇ±

    The doctor scratched the back of his neck. ˇ°LetˇŻs just say that itˇŻs their shared consensus that IˇŻm not supposed to even think about leaving Flevance. The consequences of which would beˇ­unpleasant. Actually, in all likelihood, IˇŻm probably never going to be able to come back here. TheyˇŻll have known that I was gone.ˇ±

    Buggy nodded. ˇ°Well, weˇŻll deal with the aftermath of your recruitmentˇ± he stressed that last word. ˇ°once my friend and her baby are safe.ˇ± Did this mean Buggy would need to put him up until they found a port where they could dump him? Or was he being so easy-going so that he had somewhere to stay after heˇŻd done what he was forced into cleanliness for.

    Arnon sighs, relieved that his personal baggage wouldnˇŻt put him in a negative light. He was already semi-forced into doing this. Any further complications was just asking for more trouble than he wanted with these people.

    ˇ°Okay. Lilith, Solomon.ˇ± They both looked to him. ˇ°Get ready. WeˇŻre leaving in five minutes.ˇ± He turns to Jal and Rosie. ˇ°I trust you two can make your ways back to the hospital?ˇ± They nod.

    Finally, things seem to be going his way and he was one step closer to getting to Baterilla.

    -

    Unknown Location, Unknown Island

    A kick to the head brought Devlin back into the painful arms of consciousness.

    ˇ°Hey!ˇ± The sound of someone taking several hits was muffled as she tried to clear her head of the fuzz she felt. The blindfold she could now feel on her face not helping in the least. ˇ°Take it easy, you fuckinˇŻ idiot! If you rough her up too much sheˇŻll be worth a lot less than what we could get.ˇ±

    The strangerˇŻs complaint was met with a scoff. ˇ°What does it matter if I toss her around a little? The little bitch is gonna make us a fortune either way! SheˇŻs a devil fruit user, sheˇŻs got a pretty face, and sheˇŻs, what, nine or ten? Either way, weˇŻre still making some real money with this one. So fuckinˇŻ lay off.ˇ±

    She feels the man grab her by the chin without much care as to how much pressure is being applied.

    Suddenly the hand is wrenched off of her just as fast as it came, painful it may have been but sheˇŻs glad to be free of the iron grip, and the man itˇŻs attached to groans in pain following the sound of flesh hitting in flesh in rapid, nonstop movements.

    ˇ®It sounds like Iron Grip Guy just got his ass kicked.ˇŻ She mused.

    ˇ°I said.ˇ± A grunt followed by a sharp groan after something hits something else. ˇ®Maybe heˇŻs getting kicked? ItˇŻs impossible to tell with this damn blindfold on!ˇŻ ˇ°To leave.ˇ± Again. ˇ°Her. The fuck.ˇ± Again. ˇ°BE!!ˇ± One last time and the Iron Grip Guy goes silent. But not before a deafening crack reverberates around the room.

    ˇ°Ah, shit.ˇ± The man whoˇŻd been punishing the man Devlin had known as ˇ®Iron Grip GuyˇŻ had gotten a little too lost in his rage at being disobeyed. A frequent issue with Iron Grip Guy. Not that Devlin could have known beforehand that such an outcome was a long time coming. ˇ°Now IˇŻm gonna have to fuckinˇŻ carry this asshole up the stairs. Uuugghhhh!!ˇ±

    As the sounds of a man struggling to drag what she suspected to be a dead body up a set of stairs filled the room, Devlin realized that she wasnˇŻt on the Royal Blue anymore. There wasnˇŻt any of the usual swaying or the sound of small waves gently slapping against solid wood.

    ˇ®They mustˇŻve taken me further inland. Somewhere as far away from the docks as they could getˇŻ But she couldnˇŻt be certain. Who knew how long she had been out for? It couldˇŻve been anywhere from several hours to several days. Possibly even weeks. According to what sheˇŻd skimmed through in the shipˇŻs medical journals, the stolen ones that had originally been taken from the Morning Star, a person could be placed in something called a medically induced coma with the right combination of chemicals. It would put them into a deep sleep that could last for as long as the person administering the drugs wanted it to.

    ˇ®What did they do to our ship? If they took it then theyˇŻd have to either sail to a different island, get it broken down to salvage anything worth something, or hide it in a private docking area somewhere else on the island.ˇŻ No matter what they did, though, Buggy was going to be pissed.

    SheˇŻd long since pegged him as the kind of guy to lose his cool if someone stole from him. But to steal something that meant as much to him as the Royal Blue did. That, she predicted, was treading on dangerous waters.

    Not counting the Morning Star as his first ship as a captain, the Royal Blue signified his first significant step to becomingˇ­whatever it was he was aiming to become. The look of pride in his eyes she caught every once in a while, as he stared at seemingly random parts of the ship said as much.

    Beyond being enraged at having his ship stolen from him, Devlin also knew that her being taken as well would push him to a level that sheˇŻd never personally experienced him at. She knew that pushing his buttons with honestly light-hearted jokes and jabs at his nose would get him upset. Never anything that would warrant more than an instance of indignant verbal retaliation. She had a feeling that anything without the intent to actually hurt him, or anything he cared about for that matter, would end in nothing more than him harmlessly blowing up.

    Buggy just wasnˇŻt the kind of person to act out needless violence. It was one of the reasons sheˇŻd stayed with him, despite the fact that he was a pirate.

    Until this sort of situation arose, that is.

    What she didnˇŻt know, and what Buggy was only vaguely aware of himself, was that losing Roger and then failing to convince, and therefore save them from being hunted, Rouge and her baby had instilled something in him. Something that came out when the stakes were high and the personal loss he would suffer were too great to measure.

    So, she knew Buggy was going to be coming for her when he discovered what had happened; she had faith in him. She just didnˇŻt know the level of ferocity that was coming with him. And until he and the others made it back to the dock theyˇŻd arrived at, neither did Buggy.

    Devlin could hear the man, men if she counted the now dead one being dragged across the floor, moving across whatever room was above her.

    Thinking about how care-free the man had been, how he had sounded more annoyed with Iron Grip GuyˇŻs unintentional death than anything else, made her shudder in anxiety. If Iron Grip Guy was a colleague, possibly a friend, then what did that mean for a complete stranger like her. Not even a stranger, a target.

    ˇ®Fuck. I need to get out of here. Fast.ˇŻ Looking around the room, however, she found it was bare of anything remotely useful in getting her free. Even then, did she even have the strength to pick her own self up off the floor? She felt soˇ­weak. Drained like the very energy was being sucked out of her.

    But why? It didnˇŻtˇ­it didnˇŻt make any sense!

    ˇ®I shouldnˇŻt be this weak damn it! I have the power of the fucking wind at my command. So whyˇ­? Why canˇŻt Iˇ­do somethingˇ­? Why canˇŻt Iˇ­doˇ­anything? Please Buggyˇ­Lilith...Solomon...someone...help meˇ­ˇŻ

    If she had the physical capacity to do so, sheˇŻd have already had her head in her hands to hide the tears of frustration and anguish. But the best she could do was to slowly curl up into a ball and wait. Quietly hoping that Buggy would get to her soon. Otherwiseˇ­who knows what would happen to her.